Untitled As of Yet
by Usabelle
Summary: Serena Tsukino is unlucky in love. After a succession of bad breakups, she decides to take a stand. The dumpee will become the dumper. But when a man from her past enters her life, will her plan be her downfall? AU.
1. Chapter One: The Resident Dumpee

Untitled as of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
Author's Notes: Hi all, and welcome to my first story ever! This little baby is the product of screwy life experiences and too much reality TV. This story is untitled because the only titles that I could think of were corny and the type of titles to stories that I would skip right over. I'm giving a warning that the first chapter will be slow and not romantic in the least. It gets better, I promise. Review, enjoy, and please don't flame me.  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Serena, Serena open up!" Mina screamed as she pounded on her friend's door.  
  
"You don't think there's something wrong, do you? We had this movie night planned for weeks," Lita asked while juggling a bag of cookies and a cake.  
  
Mina sighed, falling against the door in exhaustion, "I dunno. I have a feeling that Monsieur Jacques said au revoir to Serena."  
  
"Hmm... you think? She was so enamored with her French lover boy."  
  
"Why else wouldn't she answer the door for her best friends?"  
  
Lita rolled her eyes, "Maybe because she's not home..."  
  
After many minutes of yelling for their friend to come to the door, Mina realized something, "Hey! I just remembered! Raye has a key to Serena's apartment!"  
  
Lita smacked her head, "How could we have forgotten? Just take these cookies and I'll get my cell phone."  
  
As she dialed, Lita looked thoughtful, "I hope we're not bothering Raye, it is her anniversary today..."  
  
"She won't mind!" Mina said brightly as she opened the bag of cookies.  
  
"Hello?" an annoyed voice asked.  
  
"Hi Raye! It's Lita! Can you do me a little favor?"  
  
"Uh...what is it?" Raye stared at her husband and the half-drunk bottle of expensive champagne in the two hundred dollar honeymoon suite that she'd worked overtime to pay for.  
  
"We need you to open up Serena's apartment! It's an emergency!" Mina yelled into the phone with a mouthful of cookie.  
  
"What kind of emergency, Mina?" Raye asked in a bored tone. The last emergency that she was called for ended up to be an uneven application of Mina's blond brilliance highlights.  
  
"Serena won't come to the door!" she whined.  
  
"THAT'S your emergency? I'm wasting my hard-earned time on a heart-shaped water bed listening about how Meatball Head won't come to the door?"  
  
"Uh...yeah."  
  
"You do realize that Amy has a key as well, don't you?"  
  
"She does? Why? Then I should have a key too!" Mina yelled indignantly.  
  
"There's a reason why you don't have a key, Mina."  
  
"What? Why?"  
  
"Goodnight, Mina," Raye hung up and shook her head.  
  
Her husband, Chad, rolled over on the bed," What the hell was that?"  
  
"You don't want to know."  
  
Meanwhile, in Serena's hallway, the two were completely bored and ready to open up the cake.  
  
Mina, adjusting her orange sequin dress attempted to sit, "She hung up on me! Me, the sparkling conversationalist! I, for one, am offended!"  
  
"Hm, imagine that," Lita drawled sarcastically, "Now that you've eaten all of the cookies that I made for Serena, we might as well call Amy before the cake is gone."  
  
"Right! Amy won't mind at all!"  
  
Lita dialed and hoped that she wouldn't be interrupting anything with Amy either, "Hi, Amy?"  
  
"Hello Lita," a tired, high-pitched voice responded.  
  
"Are you busy now? I need your help with something."  
  
"This is my first break in twenty-four hours, but sure I'll help you." It was Amy's first year of residency at Springfield General Hospital and it was hell.  
  
"Thanks! We can't get into Serena's apartment and   
  
Raye said that you have a key."  
  
Dangerous-sounding murmurs could be heard in the background.  
  
"What is that noise?" Amy asked, half asleep.  
  
"Oh that's just Mina pissing and moaning because she doesn't have a key to Serena's apartment."  
  
"Don't you?"  
  
Lita blushed, "Well, I did, but... um... remember Raye's bachelorette party? When Sven the male stripper was *ahem* performing, in my drunken stupor, I gave him a whole set of house keys and all the money in my wallet."  
  
"I shouldn't have asked," she sighed, "I'll be right over."  
  
Lita hung up and said, "Amy's coming with the key!"  
  
"Oh, finally! I can't sit on the floor in this dress any longer!"  
  
Lita suddenly looked very tired, "What possessed you to wear a sequin dress to a movie night?"  
  
"I dunno... I figured that we could ditch the movie and go clubbing!" she said brightly.  
  
Lita looked down at her own clothes, which consisted of pink striped pajama pants and an old Care Bears t-shirt, "In this?"  
  
Mina looked at her reproachfully, "Of course not! We would have just mooched off Serena!"  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Back at the majestic Best Western, Raye was worried about Serena.  
  
"Come on, Raye, stop worrying! Hey, look! Macadamia nuts in the mini bar!" Chad said enthusiastically. "We haven't had these since the honeymoon in Hawaii!"  
  
Raye rolled her eyes, "And do you remember the bill for the macadamia nuts in Hawaii?"  
  
Chad pouted, "Aww, it was worth it!"  
  
She shook her head, "I'm worried about Serena. Despite the fact that those two morons may have visited when she wasn't home, they had a movie night planned for tonight. It's just not like Serena to ditch them."  
  
"If it makes you feel better, go and check on them," he sighed.  
  
"Chad, you're a sweetheart," she kissed him and threw on her coat. "Will you be okay by yourself?"  
  
He looked like a pleased little boy, "Of course, I'll just raid the mini bar and watch every pay-per-view movie available by the good people of Best Western."  
  
Raye glared at him and was out the door.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Amy and Raye arrived at Serena's apartment. Mina and Lita found Raye to be wearing a suspicious looking trench coat and red slippers with feathers while Amy, who looked as though she was about to drop off, had on a stained lab coat.  
  
Amy looked at Raye in disbelief, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your husband on your anniversary?"  
  
Raye scowled, "Well excuse me for having concern for a friend."  
  
Lita jumped in as the moderator, "Guys, guys, come on. The important thing is that we're here and we have keys. We all know that you're deprived of..." she looked from Ami's drooping head to Rei tapping her foot impatiently, "one thing or another, so why don't we just go in and get it over with?"  
  
The two sighed and Raye grabbed her key. She bellowed, "Meatball Head, you better be decent because we're coming in!"  
  
They opened the door to find the apartment in shambles. Clothes strewn about everywhere, with tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels everywhere in sight.  
  
"Holy shit..." Raye whispered, "Somebody ransacked Serena's apartment..."  
  
In the quiet of the apartment, they could hear the noise of a TV and soft crying. The girls rushed in to see Serena huddled in a pathetic mass on her bed. The usually vivacious blonde's meatball hairstyle was in absolute disarray, her complexion pallid, and her normally clear blue eyes were puffy and red.  
  
Lita stared at Serena in shock, "My God, Serena, what happened to you?"  
  
Serena looked up from the seemingly mesmerizing television screen to find her four friends watching her raptly, "He...he... I... we..." and she began crying once again.  
  
"Let me guess-Jacques?" Mina asked with surprising insight.  
  
Serena only sobbed harder.  
  
Amy looked at her piteously and handed her her silk handkerchief, which she proceeded to blow her nose in. Amy wrinkled her nose.  
  
After her sobbing had subsided to hiccups, Raye was the first to jump in with questions, "So what the hell happened?"  
  
Between hiccups and nose blows, the girls discerned, "Jacques decided to go back to his nude model ex-girlfriend in Paris."  
  
Ami shook her head, "Oh dear..."  
  
"That's what he told you?" Lita asked in utter disbelief.  
  
Serena's eyes narrowed, "Well, actually he told me that while I was his little croissant, I was not worldly and cultured enough and cramped his artistic style. So he plans to go back to France to paint his new girlfriend."  
  
Lita took her hand and smoothed out her disheveled hair, "What a bastard."  
  
Serena began to cry again, "What the hell is it about me? Every single time the same thing happens. I always get crapped on! Do you realize that this is the seventh boyfriend I've had by the age of twenty-five and every single time I've been dumped?!? God, what is wrong with me?"  
  
Everyone cooed words of encouragement, "Oh honey, nothing's wrong with you, it's them."  
  
Serena scowled, "Oh, like I haven't heard that one before! Every single time! What am I doing wrong?"  
  
Ami hesitated, "Well, maybe it's because you were never on the same intellectual level with the men that you've dated."  
  
"Please, remember Evan the football player? I think he had one too many concussions on the field. He was just as, if not more ditzy than me!"  
  
Mina patted her on the head, "Oh, you're not ditzy."  
  
Raye came up with another idea, "Maybe it's because you're not a take-charge kind of girl. Men like to be controlled."  
  
Mina glared at her, "You mean Chad likes to be controlled."  
  
Raye glared back, "I was just trying to make a point."  
  
Lita shrugged, "Maybe it's `cause you don't put out."  
  
This was followed by a chorus of "LITA!".  
  
Lita crossed her arms defensively, "Well, you guys didn't have any better explanations! Think about it! Evan left her for the slutty cheerleader, then Jacques leaves with a nudie! There's a pattern, if you didn't notice!"  
  
Serena angrily shook her head, "I'm not compromising my beliefs for the morally bankrupt of America!"  
  
Mina cooed at her, "They're not morally bankrupt, dear. You're just strong willed!"  
  
Serena glared back.  
  
  
  
Mina sighed, "I think the problem is that you have absolutely no confidence. Men like confidence, and how could you have any if you've been dumped in every relationship?"  
  
Serena smiled a bitter smile, "Yup, I'm the resident dumpee."  
  
Mina looked as if the light bulb had just turned on in her head, "What you need is to dump someone!"  
  
Ami looked at her as though she were crazy, "Come again?"  
  
Mina returned the look and spoke as if she were talking to a child, "Serena said it herself-she's the resident dumpee. She always thinks that it's her fault in a breakup, and how could she not with so few relationships and so many dumps? So if she gets into a relationship, and breaks it off, she will realize that it's not her fault when the relationship goes down the crapper and will gain the confidence she needs!"  
  
Lita sat in quiet disbelief for a moment on the bed, "You know, that is crazy enough to work. If we find someone that Serena won't feel bad about dumping, then we could actually do this. Of, course, we'd help her every step of the way."  
  
"While completely unorthodox in theory, this may end up being beneficial to Serena's self esteem," Ami said thoughtfully.  
  
Raye paced back and forth, "But who? Who would be dislikable enough to make Serena want to crush their spirit?"  
  
Serena sat up in the bed that now had a body-shaped indent due to her lack of movement, "Excuse me! Did anyone even think of consulting me? I don't want to hurt someone's feelings! Although... it would be nice to finally have the power to say, "too bad, so sad" and walk away!"  
  
Mina jumped up excitedly, "Fine then! We begin tomorrow!" 


	2. Chapter Two: Fast Dates for Fast People

Untitled As of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: Yay! Chapter two is here! Thanks to my reviewers. I apologize for my sick sense of humor in this chapter. Please don't take offence. No romance yet, but I promise it's coming... So please review and no flames. Merci beaucoup. Enjoy.  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
  
  
"I can't believe that you're making me do this," Serena whined as Mina and Raye dragged her unceremoniously down the busy sidewalk.  
  
"How else are you going to meet guys? This is the perfect way!" Mina cheered.  
  
Serena dug her heels into the pavement and looked at the attire she was forced to wear. She wore a short, purple halter dress that she could have sworn looked like plastic. It certainly felt like plastic. She wore black, as she termed them, "go-go boots" in matching plastic material. Mina had said that it was all the rage, "First you make me wear this slutty outfit-"  
  
"Hey! That's one of my favorite outfits to wear!" Mina interjected.  
  
Serena rolled her eyes, "Second, I don't even know these people! They could be axe murderers or something!"  
  
Raye snickered, "Lonely axe murderers..."  
  
Serena's eyes narrowed, "You suck, Raye."  
  
"Very mature. And you wonder why you don't have a boyfriend?" Raye glared back as they stopped in front of a building.  
  
Serena looked up at the semi-respectable looking building and read the sign. "Merry-Go-Round Dating Services. Lovely. Why don't they just call it fast dates for fast people?"   
  
Mina wagged her finger in Serena's face, "Speed dating is one of the most successful types of dating! You don't like someone, you move on. Serena, you don't even have to give out your number if you don't want to!"  
  
Raye snickered, "If we don't go in soon, Serena will miss her 7:30 appointment."  
  
As they entered, Serena turned around and stuck her tongue out at Raye. Raye in turn smirked back. Once inside, a striking man with blonde hair and blue eyes in a tuxedo approached them.  
  
"Hello and welcome! I'm Matthew and I'll be your host for the evening."  
  
Serena blushed, "Hi, I'm Serena. I have a 7:30 appointment..." she trailed off shyly.  
  
He smiled charmingly, "Right this way." Matthew led them down a surprisingly tastefully decorated hall.  
  
Mina flashed a proud smile and whispered, "See? I told you that this would be a good idea! Just look at him!"  
  
He led Serena to a large room of about twenty tables filled with people. "Your date will be here shortly. Since you've never participated in speed dating before, you should know that the bell rings every three minutes when you change dates. Have fun!" He walked away with Mina and Raye trailing behind, Mina giving Serena the "V for Victory" sign and Raye running her pointer finger across her neck while making a gagging sound.  
  
Serena twisted her fingers in her lap until her date arrived. She looked up to find a portly man of about three hundred pounds wearing a Star Wars t-shirt that was about seven sizes too small. She stood up and held out her hand and he parted his ring and middle finger in a "live long and prosper" signal. She returned the signal with a strange look, "Uh...hi. I'm Serena."  
  
"Greetings. I am Frodo."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Yes, my name is Frodo. I had it legally changed from John Brown to Frodo Baggins," he reached up to push a strand of greasy hair out of his face.  
  
Serena smiled politely, "Um... how nice for you."  
  
"You said that your name was Serena?"  
  
"Yes," she said, wondering if she should give out any personal information to this wacko.  
  
"What a lovely name! Wait! I'll look up its equivalent in Klingon!"  
  
To her surprise and horror, he pulled a Klingon dictionary out from his back pocket, "Oh no, no! That isn't necessary." There was an awkward pause. "So... tell me about yourself..." in all honesty, she was afraid to know.  
  
"Well, I am trilingual."  
  
"Really, what do you speak?"  
  
Frodo was full of pride as he spoke, "I'm fluent in English and Elvish. I'm still working on Klingon."  
  
"Oh. Uh... wow. Um... what do you do for a living?"  
  
"I battle with numbers as an accountant by day, but I am a Jedi by night!"  
  
Serena's eyes widened. She looked over at the clock on the wall- one minute? She'd only spent one minute with this nut? She had to spend two more?  
  
"So what is your mission, my precious?"  
  
"Um... I'm a nurse." She glanced back at the clock, "Uh... tell me about your past relationships."  
  
"I was once married. My wife betrayed me like the Ring of Power betrayed Gollum!"  
  
"How...uh...sad..." she had no idea what the hell he was talking about.  
  
He took her hand, "You have the wisdom of Gandalf and the beauty of Leia. The force compels me to ask for your number."  
  
Her eyes darted for any possible exit. She began to sweat. Her stomach lurched. Suddenly, a bell! Yes, a beautiful, glorious chime could be heard throughout the room. She abruptly stood up and quickly said, "May the force be with you!" and practically ran to the next table.  
  
When she arrived at her table, she was greeted by a tall, thin man with a poindexter-like hairdo. He held out his hand, "Hi, I'm Paul." His voice contradicted his appearance. From his looks she would have thought that he'd have a voice like the poor boy that followed her around in high school with the pocket protector; instead it sounded like that of a used-car salesman.  
  
She decided that he didn't seem too strange, so she was friendly, "I'm Serena."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Serena. What is your line of work?"  
  
She raised a brow at him, "I'm a pediatric nurse."  
  
Paul gave a sympathetic sigh, "Oh, I bet your malpractice insurance is just murder..."  
  
She had no idea what he was getting at, "It's not as bad as the doctors', but it's not great."  
  
"Really? Well it just so happens that I sell a type of insurance that gives you more coverage for less money!"  
  
Her eyes widened, was this a sales pitch or a date? "Um, that's alright. I'm okay with my current insurance."  
  
He shook his head, "You're really missing out on a great deal."  
  
Her eyes narrowed, "I'm sure." She shifted in her seat. The plastic dress was beginning to stick to her.  
  
Paul scrutinized her for a moment, "You look like you're uncomfortable in that dress, obviously because it's a little tight. Fortunately, I have a simple solution where you can lose twenty pounds in ten days!"  
  
She reeled back in offense, "Excuse me?"  
  
"Yes, *Polymoxithenol! The Ephedra-free diet pill! You don't even need to exercise! In two weeks that dress will practically fall off of you!"  
  
The muscles in her jaw tightened in anger, "No thank you." She paused, "So, tell me, Paul, what do you do for a living?"  
  
"Well... I like to call myself an aspiring entrepreneur."  
  
Her eyes narrowed to little black slits, "Bullshit. What do you really do for a living?"  
  
He returned the look, "I'm a telemarketer."  
  
She looked at him as though he were the scum of the Earth, "A telemarketer." She shook her head. "How do you sleep at night?"  
  
Paul suddenly burst into tears, "I have a wife and three kids to feed, okay?" He unexpectedly tore out of the room.  
  
Serena sat in silence as everyone in the room stared at her and wondered what she had done to make the poor man cry. "He was married!" she said quickly when people began to glare at her. Luckily, the bell came to her rescue again.  
  
As discretely as possible, Serena walked to the next table. A fairly good-looking man with blonde hair and pale blue eyes approached and smiled at her weakly.  
  
She smiled back, "I'm Serena," she said as she attempted to shake his hand.  
  
He nearly squealed as he automatically retracted his hand to behind his back. She gave him a strange look as he spoke, "I'm sorry, my therapist is working on human contact with me. I'm Nathan."  
  
After deciding that the poor guy should be given a chance, she gave a friendly smile, "Hi Nathan. What brings you here?"  
  
He looked down, "My therapist said that this is the perfect situation to help me learn to control my anxiety attacks."  
  
She attempted to keep smiling, "Anxiety attacks?"  
  
"I suffer from Agoraphobia."  
  
"Agoraphobia, huh?"  
  
"Yes, and my therapist said that it was a big step, me leaving the house and all." He smiled.  
  
She was beginning to worry, "What do you mean, leaving the house?"  
  
"I haven't left my house in six months."  
  
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head, "Six months??? You haven't left your house in six months? How?"  
  
His eyes lowered as he cowered in fear, "My mother got food for me and my therapist made house calls."  
  
Serena couldn't comprehend the information, "But why? Didn't you go nuts being inside all day?"  
  
She watched as he began to hyperventilate, "I knew this would happen!" He closed his eyes and began to chant unintelligibly.  
  
"Are you alright? Do you need a glass of water or something?" She touched his hand by accident.  
  
"Don't touch me!" he nearly shrieked as he cradled his hand as though he had been burned. His eyes darted around the room in paranoia, "Too many people...got to get out!"  
  
By this time everyone in the room was staring at Serena. She looked around sheepishly as her date was having a panic attack, "Um...can someone get him medical attention?"  
  
Frodo stood up, "You're a nurse!"  
  
She looked at the floor, "Oh, right. Uh...is anyone here a psychiatrist? No? Okay then." She looked at Nathan, who seemed as though he was about to pass out, "Nathan, why don't you just go sit in...the bathroom until everybody leaves, okay?"  
  
He slowly nodded and walked toward the bathroom, the crowd parting as he walked. The bell rang and everyone glared at Serena. She glared back, "Don't blame me for his emotional problems."  
  
Serena angrily got up and stalked over to the next table. She could not take much more. When she arrived, she was pleasantly surprised to find a black-haired, blue-eyed man in an Armani suit. He held his hand out to her, "I'm Justin."  
  
She smiled in relief and shook his hand, "Hi, I'm Serena."  
  
He gazed around the room, "You've had quite a night tonight, haven't you, Serena?"  
  
She looked up, "Pardon?"  
  
"You made two men cry."  
  
"Oh...that. See, the first one was married and the other one had...problems." She paused, "Have you ever been to one of these before?" she smiled, attempting to change the subject.  
  
"Yes, but none of the women have ever been like you."  
  
She blushed, "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"  
  
He smiled, "Good, definitely good."  
  
For the next three minutes, conversation flowed fairly well. In the middle of their conversation, the bell rang.  
  
"So..." she looked down.  
  
He smiled, "Can I give you my number?"  
  
She smiled brilliantly back, "Sure."  
  
He handed her his business card. She was smiling until she noticed something strange on the card. She frowned.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Um... this card says Justine VonMussen..."  
  
"Oh... I haven't gotten around to having that changed yet."  
  
Her brows furrowed, "Pardon me?"  
  
"It's nothing, I just had a little operating done last year... a nip here, a tuck there..."  
  
Her eyes widened, "What kind of surgery?"  
  
He folded his hands, "Well, my name was Justine for a reason."  
  
Serena's eyes were as huge as saucers as she began to back away, "You were Justine before you were Justin? Sick!"  
  
He looked dismayed, "Sick in a good way?"  
  
"No!" she screamed, "Sick in an I'm disgusted way!" She ran out of the building as though hell were on her heels to find Mina and Raye sitting on a bench outside.  
  
Mina looked up, "What's wrong? You were only in there for..." she counted on her fingers briefly, "twelve minutes!"  
  
Serena glowered at her, "I'm never listening to you again!" She stalked off down the sidewalk as it began to thunder.  
  
Raye smiled deviously at Mina and looked at her watch, "Out in twelve minutes and thirty seconds. You owe me fifty bucks."  
  
  
  
End Chapter Two  
  
  
  
*I made this medication up. If there does happen to be a Polymoxithenol out there, I don't own it so don't sue. 


	3. Chapter Three: Hello Again

Untitled As of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: Wow, chapter three! Let me just give a big thank you to the reviewers for the last chapter. Reviews give me a warm fuzzy feeling and make me want to write even more. My original plan for this chapter was to combine what I have here and the next chapter, but it didn't flow well. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out sooner. So without further adieu, read, review, don't flame, and enjoy!  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Serena stalked down the sidewalk as the sky began to thunder. "Great," she muttered and looked up toward the rapidly blackening sky, "Just great. Thunder. No change of clothes, no transportation," she glanced behind her to find Mina and Raye running to catch up with her, "stranded with crazy friends... This is just not my day."  
  
Out of breath, Mina and Raye finally caught up to Serena, "Serena, why did you run off? What happened in there?" Mina asked in a concerned voice.  
  
Serena's eyes narrowed, "First I met a Star Trek freak who tried to look up my name in the Klingon dictionary, then a telemarketer with a wife and three kids who was trying to sell insurance and weight loss pills... Oh and after that I met a guy with mental problems, and finally, to top off my experience from hell, a guy who had a sex change operation! Eligible bachelors my ass!"  
  
Mina was defensive when Raye burst out laughing, "Well it was worth a shot."  
  
Both Mina and Serena stopped to glare at Raye who was laughing hysterically, "Sex change," she wheezed.  
  
Serena attempted to cross her arms over her chest, but the plastic dress was beginning to shrink with the humidity, "You're really not helping."  
  
After about five minutes of Raye laughing, a fine mist of raindrops began to fall from the sky. Serena glowered at Raye, "Since Chuckles over here wasted all this time, we're going to get soaked."   
  
"Don't worry!" Mina said brightly, "I know exactly where we can go!"  
  
Raye rolled her eyes, "We are not waiting out the storm in Tiffany & Co. again, Mina. You are not maxing out my credit card like last time."  
  
Mina shrugged, "Suit yourself. But then we only have one other option," she pointed down the street to a gaudy looking but well-lit store.  
  
Serena's eyes widened, "The arcade? No. No way. I haven't been there in like...ten years!"  
  
"What other choice do we have? Besides, what's the problem with the arcade?"  
  
Serena struggled to find words, "Well, I haven't seen any of the people there in years. Uh... I don't want them to see me for the first time in such a long time wearing this," she gestured to the rapidly shrinking plastic dress and drooping boots. She paused for a moment, "Plus... my hair... everybody knows me for my trademark meatballs. With this weather, I'm likely to have an afro in the next five minutes. I don't want him to see me like that!"  
  
Raye stopped abruptly and gazed at her suspiciously, "Him?"  
  
Serena's eyes widened to an impossibly large state, "Uh...Andrew. You know... he was like my...big brother..."  
  
Mina started running, "Come on! I don't want to get soaked. My outfit will be ruined if we stand out here any longer!"  
  
Raye smirked, "Heaven forbid," and ran to follow.   
  
Serena reluctantly plodded along behind them. Suddenly, a man dressed in torn clothes that smelled like he had bathed in raw sewage popped out of an alley, grabbing Serena's arm, "How much?" he asked.  
  
Serena nearly shrieked as she pulled her arm out of his grimy grip, "Pardon me?"  
  
He grinned, exposing the two remaining teeth in his mouth, "How much for an hour of your time, pretty lady?"  
  
"Ugh! Leave me alone, you piece of filth!" she slapped him, running to catch up with Mina and Raye.  
  
Mina looked behind her to find Serena running to them with an urgent look on her face, "Are you alright?" she asked when she finally caught up.  
  
"I was just mistaken for a prostitute and when I slapped the hobo I think that I knocked out the two teeth left in his mouth," she deadpanned.  
  
Mina looked outraged, "What? Why?"  
  
Raye gave a small, conspiratorial smirk, "I think the why is explained by the dress."  
  
Serena looked down to find the dress completely wrinkled and bunched up, just covering her behind, "I am so burning this dress when I get home..."  
  
"Hey! Then you owe me $8.50!" Mina said in an offended tone.  
  
Raye snickered, "Eight fifty? You paid that much?"  
  
Mina glared at her, "It was a good deal!"  
  
With a crack of thunder, the sky seemed to open up and it began to pour. Luckily, they reached the brightly colored awning of the arcade just in time.   
  
Raye smiled at the sight of the arcade, "I wonder why we've never been to this place... it's not without its charm..."  
  
Serena was strangely silent and Mina noticed, "Serena, are you okay? You look kind of pale..."  
  
Serena barely acknowledged her presence and spoke softly, as if to herself, "Fine...just fine..."  
  
Raye looked worriedly at her, "I think we need to get her inside. Maybe she's getting sick from being out in the rain."   
  
The two girls quickly ushered Serena inside. The merry chime of the doorbell rang in Serena's ears. Every bad memory of adolescence seemed to be tied to this place and she was almost reliving her nightmare. After a moment and a deep breath, she chided herself for her foolishness. What were the odds of him even being there, at the same time after ten years, in the middle of a thunderstorm?  
  
Serena was broken out of her trance by a strangely familiar voice, "Do my eyes deceive me? Is that Miss Serena Tsukino?"  
  
She looked up to find an older looking and infinitely more handsome Andrew. He was taller, more built, and his hair was darker, but he still had the same playful green eyes that she knew when he was only eighteen. She smiled warmly at him, "It's good to see you, Andrew."  
  
He walked from behind the counter to greet her with a big hug, "Serena Tsukino...how long has it been? My little girl is all grown up!"  
  
She smiled into his shirt, "Yeah... still working at the arcade, Andrew?"  
  
He beamed down at her, "I own the arcade."  
  
Her jaw dropped, "Really?"  
  
"Yup. I was such a great worker that when the owner died, he left me the whole thing."  
  
"Oh that's wonderful. How's life been treating you?"  
  
He smiled proudly, "Well... I'm a husband and a father now."  
  
She slapped him playfully on the chest, "And you didn't tell me?"  
  
Andrew's expression suddenly turned serious, "You were never around Serena. How could I have invited you to the wedding or sent you baby pictures? What have you been doing all these years?"  
  
Her eyes began to tear, "Oh Andrew, I wish that I could have...but you know..."  
  
He nodded in understanding and gave her another hug, "I know Serena, but now I expect you to be here for my daughter's christening."  
  
Suddenly, a whiny, high-pitched voice chimed in, "Me too! Don't forget me!"  
  
He glanced over at the overly excited Mina and smiled politely, "You must be Mina. Serena mentioned you all the time." He looked behind her to find a rather pissed off Raye, "And you must be Raye."  
  
Raye regarded him rather coolly, never liking to be ignored, "A pleasure. How did you know who I was?"  
  
He gave her a wary smile, "Serena's description of you was really quite accurate."  
  
While this entire exchange was going on, Serena began to feel as though someone was watching her. She followed the girls over to the counter that Andrew had led them to and sat on the same red vinyl stool she had sat at as a fifteen-year- old. A question brought her back to reality, "So Serena... what have you been doing in these past few years?"  
  
She looked up to find Andrew looking at her expectantly, "Oh...um... not that much...I went to Columbia University for nursing school, then decided that I was too far away from home, so I came back here to work in pediatrics."  
  
He took her hand and scrutinized it for a moment, "And no wedding bells yet?"  
  
Glancing down at her ringless finger, she shook her head sadly.  
  
"Men should be breaking down your door, Serena," she smiled at him, "I'm surprised."  
  
"So am I."  
  
Serena froze at the new voice that had entered the conversation. Mina and Raye turned around in shock to find a tall, striking man before them. His glacial blue eyes stared past them to Serena, who seemed to be ignoring the fact that someone else had entered the conversation. While Serena looked positively green, Mina was looking him up and down.  
  
Mina smiled flirtatiously, "Hi, I'm Mina! I don't know you, but I'd like to."  
  
He brushed off her flirtation like lint off of his immaculate suit, "I'm sure."  
  
Raye scrutinized him for a moment, "Do I know you from somewhere?"  
  
He replied in a deep baritone voice, deeper than Serena remembered, "I don't know. Do you?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed slightly, before she decided that she liked him, "Hi. Raye Whitfield." She held out her hand.  
  
His eyes flickered in recognition as he shook her hand firmly, "Darien Shields. I believe you were in my judo class in high school."  
  
She nodded, "Of course! I beat your ass each and every time!"  
  
Meanwhile at the counter, Serena was trying to make herself even more inconspicuous. She wanted to crawl under a table and die. Every awkward and humiliating teenage experience was tied to the man she had her back to. A chill ran up her spine as she heard his name. Her stomach churned at the thought of having to face him. This just wasn't happening. Suddenly, the sound of laughter broke her out of her private misery.  
  
"So how do you know Serena? Were you sweethearts in high school?" Mina asked teasingly, attempting to include her friend in the conversation.  
  
At that moment, Serena wanted to murder her now ex-best friend. She smirked, still not moving from her stationary position at her seat.  
  
Darien smiled, "Not quite..." he sat down next to her, leaning in slightly, "How would you explain it?"  
  
She lifted her now curly mass of blonde hair off her shoulder and slowly turned her head to face him with frosted over eyes. He had changed so much after ten years. His eyes were still full of the blue fire she remembered, but his hair seemed thicker and darker, his physique more imposing, and his presence was entirely different. Despite her shortness of breath and her pounding heart, she gave a calm, cold response, "I wouldn't."  
  
He looked unaffected by her nonchalant attitude, "Well that wasn't the reception I was hoping for."  
  
She coolly lifted an eyebrow, "What were you expecting?"  
  
He gave a lopsided grin and shrugged, "I dunno... Maybe a hi, how are you, what's new in the past decade or so?"  
  
She decided not to give him the satisfaction and managed a bored tone, regardless of her frazzled nerves, "Hi. How are you? What's new?"  
  
He rested his chin on his hand, "Well, if you really want to know, I'm doing very well. I graduated from law school two years ago. I've got a great job, a nice house, and a vineyard."  
  
Serena seemed unimpressed, "How nice for you."  
  
"A vineyard, huh?" Mina interjected, uncomfortable with the immediate coldness in her friend.  
  
Darien barely glanced in her direction, "Yeah." His attention turned back to Serena, "So Meatball Head, what have you been up to since I've seen you last?"   
  
She flinched almost unnoticeably at the old nickname but gave no indication of recognition, "Nothing much." She returned to the coffee that Andrew had brought her during their conversation.  
  
He took the mug out of her hand and stared at it in disbelief, "Coffee? Meatball Head on coffee? What happened to the milkshake-drinking, overly emotional teenybopper that I once knew?"  
  
Did he really think that she was that dense? She regarded him coldly, "I grew up."  
  
He shook his head in a playful manner, "Drinking coffee does not constitute growth."  
  
She rolled her eyes, "That comment doesn't even warrant a response."  
  
He leaned in even closer to her, "All of my comments warrant responses!"  
  
She smirked, "I have yet to see a single example that proves it."  
  
Darien put his arm around her, causing her to automatically stiffen, "If you need proof, then I know this lovely little coffee shop, and considering that you love coffee so much..." he trailed off with a confident smile.  
  
"I don't love coffee that much."  
  
His grin widened even more and he spoke slower, as though he were talking to an idiot, "Obviously subtlety doesn't work with you. Let me make myself clearer. Would you like to go out with me?"  
  
Before she had a chance to even open her mouth, Mina exclaimed, "She'd love to!"  
  
Serena turned around fully to give her friend who, at the moment, was practically bouncing off the walls in excitement, the death glare.  
  
He gazed at Serena for a moment, "I'd feel better hearing it come from you."  
  
She stared down at her crumpled boots, "I don't know."  
  
"Why don't we just exchange phone numbers and take it from there?"  
  
While she was trying to think of an out, she could hear Mina in the background rummaging through her purse. Everyone turned around to see her pull out Serena's business card. With a triumphant smile, she handed the card to Darien, "You can reach her by her cell, pager, or home phone. I suggest the cell because she's never home."  
  
Darien looked at her gratefully, "Thanks, I'll remember that. Well, I've got a huge case tomorrow. I need to prepare some files ahead of time. It was great to see all of you again." He looked directly at Serena, "I'll talk to you later."   
  
With a deer-in-the-headlights expression, she nodded dumbly and watched as he waved goodbye to Andrew. He was halfway out the door when Mina yelled, "Call her!"  
  
He poked his head back in the arcade, "Don't worry, I will."  
  
Serena let her head fall onto the cold countertop, "I really wish you wouldn't have done that."  
  
Mina looked at her with genuine concern, "Serena, that guy is perfect. What's wrong?"  
  
Serena lifted her slightly watery eyes from the countertop to look at Mina brokenly, "That 'perfect' guy ruined my life." 


	4. Chapter Four: Serena's Past

Untitled As of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: What do you know, Chapter four is finally here! Sorry for the wait! Unfortunately, there was a death in my family so I haven't had much time to write and don't see much time for it in the next few weeks. Luckily I had a burst of inspiration to write last night, so here you go. This is my Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa present to you. This chapter's purpose is to explain what happened ten years prior to when the story begins. Hopefully this will answer some, well, a lot of questions, and I have a feeling that it will bring up a few more. So I hope you guys enjoy this one. Read me, review me, don't flame me. BTW- Thank you so much to my reviewers! You keep me going!  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply  
  
Four A.M. It was four o'clock in the morning and Serena had still not fallen asleep. Serena buried her head beneath her pillow as the thunder rolled on overhead. She could have sworn that the storm was against her, seemingly laughing at the fact that she had to be at work in three hours.  
  
Deciding that it was useless to attempt to get any sleep, knowing that she'd fall asleep ten minutes before she had to wake up, she grudgingly turned on the lamp on her night table.  
  
Stretching her tired muscles, she slowly got up and looked in her vanity mirror. She looked like hell. Her hair looked as though she'd stuck her finger in a light socket and her eyes were so bloodshot that they resembled ones from a horror movie. She ran a hand through her rats' nest of hair, instantly regretting all of the tossing and turning she'd done the night before in an attempt for a few precious moments of sleep.  
  
"Stupid storm," she muttered as she put on her pink bunny slippers and slowly made her way into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. As she sat at her kitchen table, she pondered for a moment. It really wasn't the storm's fault that she couldn't sleep. It was that idiotic Darien. Why, after all these years, would he have been so warm, friendly, and inviting? She shook her head to clear her thoughts. No, it wasn't Darien's fault, she decided, it was Mina's. If it weren't for her, she'd never have been in this situation to begin with.  
  
Suddenly, a devious smile spread across her face. She quickly reached for her phone and dialed Mina's number on speed dial.  
  
Almost instantly, disco music was blasting through the phone as a hyper voice said, "Hello?"  
  
"Hello Mina," she deadpanned as she lifted the phone slightly away from her ear so as not to go deaf from the blasting strains of 'Dancing Queen.'  
  
"Serena! Hi! Why are you up so early?"  
  
Serena made a face; how could she be so peppy at that ungodly hour? "I don't know... maybe it's because you set me up with the bane of my existence?"  
  
"Oh no... Don't blame me... you did that all on your own," Serena could almost see Mina shaking her head at her on the other side of the city.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You did everything yourself. I just gave you a teensy push in the right direction. Just call me Cupid," she giggled.  
  
Serena rolled her eyes, "You know, I don't think you even realize how much damage you've done."  
  
Mina gave a heavy sigh, "Serena, you should be grateful. He's a great catch. What is your problem? I'd date him!"  
  
"You'd date anything male."  
  
"True..." Mina replied brightly and then sobered, "But Serena, something tells me that there is something bothering you. Call it intuition, I dunno..."  
  
Serena quieted, "Yeah..."  
  
"What is it?" Mina coaxed, "You never told me why you hated him."  
  
Serena took a deep breath, "It's a long story."  
  
Mina grinned, "And where have I got to be?"  
  
Serena glanced at the clock, "Work in three hours."  
  
Mina gave a noncommittal shrug, "Someone will cover for me."  
  
"How lucky for you."  
  
Mina groaned in frustration, "Quit beating around the bush!"  
  
She sighed in acquiescence, "Alright... I met Darien ten years ago, when I was a freshman in high school and he was a senior..."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Fifteen-year-old Serena practically ran out of her classroom as the final bell rang. Today was the day. Today was the day that she was going to tell him how she felt. She sighed wistfully as she stopped by her locker to check her appearance in the mirror, only to find her best friend Molly waiting there.  
  
"Serena, are you alright? You look so nervous and your face is all flushed..." Molly trailed off, grabbing Serena's books while she opened her locker.  
  
"Do I?" she asked nervously, applying a quick coat of lip gloss.  
  
Molly smiled and patted her on the back, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Are you sure that you want to do it today?"  
  
Serena took a deep breath and smiled, "Absolutely. I just know that if I don't do it today, I'll never do it. Besides, he's going off to college soon and I can't waste any time..." she suddenly looked ill, "Wait... why are you asking? Do you think it's a bad idea? Do you think that he doesn't like me?"  
  
Molly shook her head slightly, "Stop worrying. You know that I think he likes you. It's so obvious. And you've been crushing on him all year...you might as well do it now."  
  
Serena looked at her nervously, "If you're sure..."  
  
Molly smacked her on the arm, "If you wait any longer, you just might miss him."  
  
She giggled and hurried out of the building.  
  
Ten minutes later, the girls arrived at the arcade. Serena automatically scanned the room for a certain someone and was disappointed to find him nowhere in sight. Molly immediately ditched her for her boyfriend, Melvin, and Serena was left alone. She looked over to find her friend Andrew wiping down the countertop.  
  
"Andrew!" she called as she walked excitedly over to the counter. She had known Andrew since the eighth grade. She'd been so surprised when the then-high school senior talked to her, the dumb, ugly, eighth grader. In the beginning, she'd had a crush on him, but soon enough, someone had taken his place.  
  
"Serena, what's up? Hey, are you okay? You don't look well..." he asked, concerned.  
  
She sighed nervously, "Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine... just fine..."  
  
He gazed at her disbelievingly, "If you're sure..."  
  
She smiled at him weakly and felt beads of sweat beginning to form on her forehead. What if he wasn't going to come? What if he was avoiding her? What if... Suddenly, the door chime interrupted her thoughts. She looked up only to find the one man she'd been searching for all day: Darien Shields. He strode in confidently and stopped when he noticed her sitting at the stool. Her heart nearly stopped as he made eye contact with her and smiled. She gave a weak smile back.  
  
He walked over to the counter and sat at the stool next to her. "How's my favorite Meatball Head? You look sick."  
  
She blushed, "I'm not sick."  
  
"Your face is all red. Probably because you ran all the way here from school. Get in shape, Meatball Head."  
  
Her heart fluttered, "You're obnoxious, you know that?"  
  
He smirked at her, "Be honest- you wouldn't have me any other way."  
  
She smiled back nervously, "True."  
  
Suddenly, he put his hand to his chest dramatically, "Good Lord! Meatball Head and I actually agree on something!"  
  
"Yeah..." she trailed off anxiously.  
  
As he leaned in close, she blushed an even brighter shade of red, "Something is definitely wrong with you. You're amicable. Oh wait, I'm sorry, that's a big-people word. It means friendly."  
  
She rolled her eyes and attempted to calm her racing heart, "I know what it means, idiot."  
  
He patted her on the head, "Sure you do. You must be sick. You're all flushed and sweaty. And I doubt it's from my dashing good looks."  
  
She giggled nervously. 'You don't know how right you are.'   
  
Just then Andrew arrived with her milkshake. As she went to pick it up, Darien grabbed a hold of it and held it above her head, "No milkshakes for Meatball Head. She's sick."  
  
She glared at him and grabbed the shake, "For the last time, moron, I'm not sick. I don't know how you're going to get into med school, let alone college."  
  
He glared back, "For your information, I'm going to law school, not med school. And I've been accepted into colleges all over the country. Prestigious ones that you couldn't even dream of getting into."  
  
"How far away?" she masked her fear well.  
  
"So far away that you will cry in mourning everyday that I am gone," he smirked.  
  
She smiled to cover her tears, "Who will I fight with? No one will keep me on my toes. My acerbic wit will wither and die!" she said dramatically.  
  
He smirked in amazement, "Big words for Meatball Head! Don't tell me that you'll actually miss me!"  
  
She took a deep breath and decided that it was now or never, "I will."  
  
His eyes widened, "Really?"  
  
"Surprisingly, I've grown quite fond of you," she blushed even brighter and giggled nervously, "Don't know how that happened..."  
  
He scrunched his eyebrows slightly and spoke quietly, "Are you saying that you like me?"  
  
She nearly stopped breathing, "Um... yes. Yes. I like you."  
  
Nervously, she watched as his eyes grew impossibly large as he sat in stunned amazement, "Oh."  
  
The seconds of silence seemed to stretch on forever, "And...now that you know... um... do you want to...maybe... do something sometime?"  
  
He stared at her for a moment and she thought she would die. After a while, he seemed to snap out of it, "Ok."  
  
She sat there for a moment before his words sunk in. Her eyes widened at his acceptance and she felt like she was going to pass out.  
  
He tilted his head and looked at her for a moment, "Everything okay in there, Meatball Head?"  
  
She smiled at his barbed comment, "Just fine, thank you."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment, "So...what now?" he asked, smiling slightly in a way that made her heart beat even faster.  
  
She looked at the ground for a moment, "Um... Are you busy Friday night?"  
  
He shook his head, "I've got a baseball game Friday. You can come if you'd like."  
  
She bit her lip, "Um... okay... great. I'll be there." She stood up to leave, "So I'll see you then."  
  
Darien stood up and stared at his feet, "Yeah."  
  
They stood in silence for a few moments as she studied his face. Nervously, he stepped forward quickly pressed his lips to her cheek in an awkward motion.  
  
She smiled and savored the closeness before he pulled away, blushing furiously. She giggled in response, "See you later," and walked out of the arcade.  
  
Faintly, she heard the tiniest "Bye" from him as she glanced back to see Andrew coming over to him for an interrogation. She shook her head, still beaming. This was the best day of her life.  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
"Aw... that was so sweet! What a great story!" Mina cooed over the phone.  
  
"Mina, that's only half of the story! It doesn't have a happy ending!"  
  
"I know that," Mina sighed, "But I just love stories about first loves. Wait! Hang on, I've got a call on the other line."  
  
Serena sighed in frustration as she waited for a few minutes. Suddenly, she heard a new voice on the phone, "Hi Serena!"  
  
"Lita? What are you doing up so early?"  
  
"Well Mina called me last night around two a.m. to tell me all about your dating experience. I couldn't fall back asleep thanks to someone, so I decided to wake her up in return, but my plan has apparently backfired, so here I am."  
  
"I think you left off at the 'best day of your life' part, Serena," Mina interrupted.  
  
"Mina!" Lita scolded, "Serena doesn't have to tell me about it!"  
  
"Oh please," Serena rolled her eyes, "Like Mina hasn't told you about it already."  
  
"Well, yeah, but you didn't have to tell me the rest of the story... although I'd really love to find out what happened..."  
  
Serena shook her head at her friends' antics, "Take a seat. You're going to be here a while. Where was I?"  
  
"It was the best day of your life!" Mina said excitedly.  
  
"Ah yes... That week I was on a high that I'd never been on before. I was in love. Friday came before I knew it..."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"Try on this one, Serena! The color will match perfectly with your eyes!" an auburn-haired girl exclaimed as she raided her friend's closet.  
  
"Ann, I don't see why we're going through this. I've already decided to wear my Springfield High sweatshirt to support the team!"  
  
Ann shook her head reproachfully, "We don't care about the team! We care about Darien! Will Darien want to kiss Miss Frumpy after a game-winning home run? No." She pulled something out of her closet and threw it at Serena, "Try this."  
  
Serena looked at what was carelessly tossed at her; it was a pale blue beaded tank top with a jean jacket and jean skirt. She rolled her eyes, "Isn't this a bit too formal for a baseball game?"  
  
Ann walked out of her closet with a pair of silver high-heeled shoes, "Absolutely not! You'd be surprised how dressed up people get for these events. Besides, your boyfriend is the team captain! You have to look nice!"  
  
Serena sighed happily and fell back onto her bed, "I have a boyfriend that's sweet and handsome and wonderful. How lucky am I?"  
  
"Very. Now get dressed before you're late."  
  
Ten minutes later, a silver Jaguar pulled into Serena's driveway and beeped. Ann jumped at the sound, "That's Allan! Let's go!"  
  
The girls ran out to the car to see Ann's older brother, Allan, stick his head out the window, "Get in, we're late."  
  
Serena smiled at him once in the car, "Thanks for taking us, Allan. I really appreciate it."  
  
He turned around and smiled at her, "No problem. Do you need a ride home?"  
  
She beamed, "No, Darien's taking me home."  
  
"Darien?" he asked as he sped down the street.  
  
She nodded her head, "My boyfriend, Darien Shields. Do you know him?"  
  
"Yeah. He was mostly a loner until some girls noticed him freshman or sophomore year. No offense, but he wouldn't be popular if Beryl's group didn't like him."  
  
She scrunched her brow, "Oh...okay. You would know. You went to school with him for two years."  
  
"I didn't mean it like that. Before he was popular, he was a pretty good kid. But what do I know? It's been a few years since high school. He's probably changed."  
  
Serena sat in silence. She had never really thought about the fact that he was popular. What would he want with her, a freshman? But then again, Allan was a sophomore in college; he knew Darien years ago, before she even knew him. She rationalized that he probably changed a lot in that time.  
  
When they finally arrived at the stadium, Serena's stomach was in knots. As she waved goodbye to Allan, her stomach churned in nervousness. She felt Ann nudge her forward and was brought out of her stupor, "Nervous?"  
  
She smiled weakly, "How can you tell?"  
  
Ann shook her head, "You're three shades of green at the moment. Relax. You'll be fine."  
  
"I have so many things to worry about."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
Serena sighed, "Like who we're going to sit with? We're just freshmen."  
  
"We'll sit with that girl from Law class if she's here. She was pretty friendly... and isn't she older? What was her name?"  
  
"Amy. We barely know her."  
  
"Who cares? Let's just go," Ann urged as she hauled Serena to the stands.  
  
Serena became even more nervous at the huge crowd. How would she find a place where Darien would see her? Ann seemed to sense her thoughts and began to push her way through the crowd to the front row where they sat down.  
  
"Oh my god. You are not sitting here," an obnoxious voice said.  
  
Serena turned to the voice, petrified, only to find Beryl Vandergrift, the most popular and catty of all seniors. She was known for "getting to know" every boy in the senior class. "I'm s-sorry," she stammered.  
  
Beryl's green eyes narrowed, "Well you should be. Why don't you get off your sad, freshman ass and go up there," she pointed to the nosebleed section, "where the losers belong."  
  
Her eyes filled with tears of humiliation as Beryl's groupies laughed hysterically at her. She neglected to notice that her friend was getting rather pissed, "Go to hell," she spat.  
  
Beryl's eyes flashed indignantly, "Excuse me?"  
  
"You heard me."  
  
"What do you think gives you the right to come down here and pollute the air that we breathe with your... your... loserness?"  
  
Ann glared right back, "It just so happens that her boyfriend is the captain of the team."  
  
Beryl glared at Serena for a moment before bursting out laughing, "You? You date Darien Shields? What would he want with a freak like you?"  
  
"I...um...I don't..." Serena stammered, mortified.  
  
"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. She is dating him. What, did you think that you had dibs on him or something?" Ann asked, unaffected by the group's glares.  
  
Beryl stopped laughing and tossed her hair haughtily, "Why would he want you when he could have someone like me?"  
  
Serena finally got angry, "Because I haven't been with every guy in the school!"  
  
Beryl sputtered angrily before calming, "Then if that's the case, we're all having a little... get together at the arcade tomorrow night. If you're dating him, then you can come."  
  
Serena looked at her suspiciously, "I'll see if I can." She turned her attention back to the game, trying to forget the past few minutes.  
  
An hour later, Springfield High was down by three points in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. The bases were loaded and Darien was at bat. Serena cheered as he stepped up to the plate. He turned to the crowd for a moment and looked at Serena. She waved enthusiastically and he smiled. The crowd quieted as he waited for the ball. He swung and missed. The crowd became silent as he missed the second pitch. Everyone watched, riveted as the pitcher threw the third pitch. Serena crossed her fingers and said a little prayer as the pitch seemed to move in slow motion. Crack! The crowd roared as the ball flew out of the park and Darien took off running. Serena beamed with pride; her boyfriend had hit a grand slam and sent the team to the Championships.  
  
After the game ended, Serena waited outside of the locker room where Darien had told her to meet him after the game. Finally, after ten minutes of waiting, Darien came out with a group of guys.  
  
She smiled at him and spoke quietly, "Hey Darien."  
  
He looked at her, surprised, "Oh hi Serena." He turned to the group behind him, "I'll catch up with you guys."  
  
She watched nervously as the group walked away, snickering. "Um... you played really well tonight."  
  
He smiled slightly, "Thanks. It was... nice that you could come."  
  
She grinned back, "It was nice to be here."  
  
He began to walk and she followed, "You know... I like it that we're not fighting."  
  
She giggled, "I know. The arguments were getting tedious."  
  
He stopped, "You're not as dumb as you appear to be."  
  
She put her hands on her hips, "And you're not as obnoxious as you appear to be," she replied playfully.  
  
"I'm glad that you told me how you felt... because... I would never have gotten the chance to tell you that... um... I..." he trailed off and slowly leaned forward.  
  
She was rooted to her spot on the ground as she leaned forward as well, inhaling the intoxicating scent of cinnamon and something else that she couldn't place, but committed it to memory. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt him draw closer. "Darien!" someone shouted in the distance. Both of them quickly opened their eyes and stepped back, only to find an audience further down the street.  
  
He looked at her briefly, "What?" he yelled back in a frustrated tone.  
  
"Are you done yet? We have an exam tomorrow and we need your brain!"  
  
At that moment, Serena wanted to murder the abhorrent little worm that ruined what would have been her first kiss. She sighed in defeat, "Go... you need to study anyway."  
  
He turned to her and smirked, "This coming from the expert on sleeping in class."  
  
She crossed her arms in mock-anger, "You should be thankful, you ingrate. I'm being lenient."  
  
He grinned, "And I am thankful, O great and compassionate girlfriend."  
  
She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Um... Beryl invited us to a party at the arcade tomorrow night..."  
  
Darien paled slightly, "You talked to Beryl?"  
  
"Not by choice," she said sarcastically, "But do you want to go?"  
  
"Um... yeah..." he replied uncomfortably, "We can go."  
  
"What time?"  
  
"DARIEN!" the group yelled.  
  
"I'm coming!" he bellowed in return. "Uh... seven... I think."  
  
"Great," she said, slightly wary of his tone. "See you later."  
  
"Yeah, bye," he responded as he ran to catch up with the group.  
  
She sighed and watched them leave. After they were out of sight, she looked around the almost empty parking lot. How was she going to get home?  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
"He made you walk home?" Lita asked in outrage.  
  
Serena shook her head, "No, I called my parents."  
  
She heard Mina sigh, "Serena, I haven't really heard anything that bad about Darien. I really don't see how he ruined your life. So he ditched you to go study. Big deal."  
  
Serena groaned in frustration, "Perhaps that's because I haven't finished my story! You guys keep interrupting me!"  
  
"Fine, we'll stop," Mina said in an offended tone.  
  
"Please continue," Lita pleaded.  
  
Serena took a deep breath, "Okay. No more interruptions. My parents dropped me off at the party the next night. I was so excited to go to an upperclassmen party. I felt so grown up..."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Serena nervously stood outside of the arcade. She clutched her purse and checked her appearance for the millionth time that night. The off-shoulder black dress looked exactly the same as it did the 999,999 time she checked. She took a deep breath and stepped into the arcade, the bell chiming as she did so. In a fit of apprehension, she scanned the room for Darien, not finding him anywhere in sight.  
  
  
  
She quietly walked around the arcade before being stopped by a tall man, "Are you lost, little girl?" The surrounding upperclassmen laughed.  
  
She stared at the ground, "I'm looking for Darien Shields. Have you seen him anywhere?"  
  
He laughed in a way that made her uneasy, "Oh I've seen him all right."  
  
"Where?" she asked with wide eyes.  
  
He pointed to a booth in a dark corner of the room, "The last time I was him he was over there," he snickered, "But who knows where he could be by now?"  
  
She thanked him quietly and tensely walked to the other end of the room. She walked closer and began to get a bad feeling. Walker closer still, she began to make out two figures in the darkness. She stepped into the light, only to find Beryl on Darien's lap kissing him like there was no tomorrow.  
  
"Darien?" she asked in quiet horror.  
  
He abruptly broke away to find Serena standing frozen in front of the table. "Serena?" he asked fearfully.  
  
Her eyes began to tear but she willed the tears away, "What... what's going on?"  
  
Beryl smiled evilly as she slid off Darien's lap and walked over to Serena, "Poor little dear. Did you actually think he wanted you?"  
  
She glanced around her briefly to find that a crowd was forming around them. "I... um... Darien?"  
  
He looked down, "I... uh..."  
  
Beryl smirked, "Actions speak louder than words my dear. And if you'll notice, he isn't saying anything."  
  
She looked at him in dismay, "But I thought we were..."  
  
"You thought that he was your boyfriend. How sweet," Beryl interjected.  
  
Suddenly, the boy Serena had met before entered the conversation, "You were dating a freshman? This freshman?"  
  
Darien looked trapped, "Um..."  
  
The boy shook his head, "Man, I thought you were better than that. Dating a loser like this."   
  
Darien's eyes darted back and forth as more people began to join in rebuking him. He suddenly shouted, "Wait!" Everyone turned to him as he gave an uneasy smile, "Of course I wouldn't date such a freak... It was a joke."  
  
Serena wanted to be sick. Tears pricked her eyes and she attempted to push them back. "What?" she asked, almost inaudibly.  
  
"A joke..." he repeated, "A little game, if you will." He stood up and began to circle around her, "You... you'd been getting on my nerves for the longest time and I'd had enough. But much to my surprise, you had a crush on me!" he laughed cruelly, "You thought you actually had a chance with me. You're so stupid; I can't believe that you actually thought that I'd like you back. Could you imagine, me, dating you, the idiotic, fat, hideous freshman?" The crowd laughed in response. "I mean... look at you! You can't even pass a simple math test! You could break a mirror with your face and you eat like a pig! Hell, I'm surprised you were able to squeeze yourself into that dress!"  
  
She could no longer hold back her tears and began to cry as the crowd cheered him on, "Please stop," she said quietly in an attempt to exit.  
  
"Awww..." he drawled, "Poor Serena's gonna go running home to mommy? Fitting for a crybaby like you."  
  
The crowd roared as she ran through the mass of people and tripped over someone's outstretched foot. Bleeding and humiliated, she looked up to find Darien standing with Beryl, laughing at her. She slowly stood up and made her way to the door with the little amount of dignity that she had left. She turned around and looked at Darien with a tearstained face and broken eyes, only to see him gazing back at her uncaringly as Beryl pulled his head down for a kiss. Pushing past a rather befuddled Andrew who had just entered the building, she threw open the door. She ran as fast and far as she could until she found an empty bench on a street corner where she fell and broke down into tears once again.  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Silence. Serena almost thought that they had hung up on her, "Guys? Are you still there?"  
  
Suddenly she heard Mina and Lita begin to sob, "Serena, why didn't you ever tell us?" Mina asked.  
  
"You never asked," Serena replied quietly.  
  
"How could we not have known?" Lita wept.  
  
"Well I didn't really know you that well at the time. Mina, you and I were acquaintances and Lita, I hadn't even met you yet. I was humiliated enough as it was and I didn't want more people to know."  
  
Mina sighed, "I guess that makes sense. What happened after that?"  
  
"I changed schools because everyone in the school knew about the incident within a matter of days. He was the reason that I didn't go to prom or even date until college."  
  
"No wonder you have no self confidence! Serena, I am so sorry that I set you up with him! You can call him up right now and tell him to go to hell!" Mina said angrily.  
  
"Wait a minute..." Lita interrupted in a contemplative voice, "Don't dump him. Not yet..."  
  
Serena didn't like the tone of her voice, "Why?"  
  
"Because you are going to do the same thing to him that the rat bastard did to you!" Lita said in excitement.  
  
Serena raised an eyebrow, "I'm listening."  
  
"You are going to make him fall in love with you and then you will dump his ass like yesterday's trash!" Lita exclaimed.  
  
"I'm liking this plan," Mina said in an amused voice.  
  
Serena sighed, "So am I, but how am I supposed to make him fall madly in love with me, given my past attempt?"  
  
"Oh Serena, I don't think that you'll have to do anything," Mina answered slyly, "He's already attracted to you; that's obvious. Plus, you are not the same person you were in high school."  
  
"Sometimes I still feel like the same person."  
  
"Serena, you still have all of your good traits from adolescence, but you've grown up," Lita reasoned, "All you have to do is keep up... whatever you've been doing."  
  
Serena smiled, "Sounds like a plan."  
  
Both girls squealed on the other line. Serena glanced over at the clock and jumped out of her chair, "Do you realize how long we've been talking? I have to be at work in an hour."  
  
"Fine, we'll let you go," Lita said.  
  
"We'll call you later!" Mina squealed as they hung up.  
  
Serena hung up the phone and walked to her bathroom. When she was about to get in the shower, the phone rang in the other room. She groaned and threw on a robe as she hurried into the hallway to get the phone. Reaching the phone on the last ring, she answered breathlessly, "Hello?"  
  
"Serena?"  
  
It was Darien.  
  
  
  
END CHAPTER FOUR  
  
AN: It's longer, isn't it? I was thinking about putting some of these flashbacks in Darien's point of view in later chapters. What do you think? Please let me know. Thanks!  
  
~Usabelle 


	5. Chapter Five: The Neverending Date

Untitled As Of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: Happy New Year! *throws confetti* A new chapter for a new year. This chapter seemed to take forever. I didn't think I'd ever get it out. I had the flu over break and since I didn't have the energy to do anything else, I wrote! You can thank influenza for this chapter. Oh yes, I almost forgot- reviews make me happy. In fact, reviews make me so happy that sometimes, I update even sooner. I'd like to give a big group hug to my reviewers. Thank you! So please read, review, and don't flame. You know the drill.  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"Serena?"  
  
It was Darien. She knew it was Darien. But would she acknowledge the fact that she could recognize his voice? Absolutely not. "This is she. May I ask who's speaking?"  
  
"This is Darien Shields," he replied in a sheepish tone.  
  
She scowled. "Oh, hi Darien," she greeted nonchalantly. After rehashing her painful memories, she didn't feel like being the least bit friendly to him.  
  
"I'm sorry for calling you this early... did I wake you?"  
  
"No," she responded coldly. She grinned an evil little smile. Getting information out of her would be like pulling teeth.  
  
"Oh... uh... good... how are you?"  
  
"Fine, thank you, and you?"  
  
"Good..."  
  
She rolled her eyes at his seemingly nervous voice. "Was there something you needed, Darien?"  
  
"Well, I was up all night preparing files for my case and I have a few hours until the hearing, so I decided to give you a call."  
  
"How lucky for me," she drawled.  
  
"What are you doing today?" he asked in an obvious attempt to make conversation.  
  
She sighed as she turned off her shower, "I have work in an hour and it's going to be hell today because I didn't get any sleep last night with that storm," or thinking about you, she added silently.  
  
He groaned, "I know. I usually keep a sheet and pillow at the office for late nights but last night was awful."  
  
"Workaholic?" she asked absently as she decided to make breakfast.  
  
He chuckled, "No, not quite. I prefer to call it dedication."  
  
"Call it what you want, no one should think about work that much," she replied as she spread cream cheese on a bagel.  
  
"I wasn't thinking about work the whole time, you know."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Actually, much of the time I was thinking about you."  
  
She nearly choked on her bagel yet responded in an uninterested tone, "Is that so?"  
  
"Yes, I was thinking about asking you to dinner on Saturday."  
  
"..." She couldn't think of a thing to say.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So what?" she asked, stalling as she debated whether to go along with the plan or tell him to go to hell.  
  
"Dinner, maybe a movie? There's a French restaurant that just opened and I've wanted to try it. So how bout it?"  
  
She smirked, "All right. You can pick me up at six."  
  
"Great! Saturday it is, then," he responded happily.  
  
She turned on the shower once again as she finished her bagel, "I have to go. If I'm late today I'll be in big trouble."  
  
"Same old Meatball Head," he reproached playfully.  
  
"Shut up, Darien," she replied in an annoyed tone. With that, she hung up. She grinned maliciously. She'd give him something to think about over the next few days.  
  
An hour later, Serena ran through the corridors of the hospital as her pager buzzed away at her hip. "I'm coming!" she said mostly to herself in a frustrated tone as she briefly looked down to check who was paging her. Suddenly, she collided with a hard, warm body. She looked up to find the last person that she wanted to deal with at the moment: Darien Shields. Of course he had to look good enough to eat in another immaculate suit when she looked like the bride of Frankenstein.  
  
"Hi Serena!" he said brightly and followed her down the long hallway.  
  
"Darien," she responded as she cleared out the number in her pager, practically running towards the emergency wing.  
  
"Do you work here?" he asked, inspecting her medical garb.  
  
"No, I just wear scrubs because they look pretty," she drawled sarcastically as she walked to the front desk. She turned to the receptionist and showed her her ID card. To her astonishment, Darien flashed an ID card as well. She motioned for him to follow her to the Staff Only area. "How did you get one of those?"  
  
He gave a lop-sided smile, "I'm doing some...work here and I need access to certain areas."  
  
"Good Lord, you're an ambulance chaser, aren't you?"  
  
He grinned, "Thank heavens no. I'm-"  
  
Suddenly, they heard yelling at the front desk as the doors to the restricted area flew open. "Ma'am! You are not authorized to go back there!" the receptionist yelled after the woman that she'd been arguing with.  
  
Serena watched as the enraged woman with flaming red hair and fanatical eyes knocked over a medicine cart and overturned an elderly man in a wheelchair in her haste to get away. To Serena's annoyance, the woman ran over to Darien and practically glued herself to his side. The woman screeched in such a way that Serena was sure could shatter glass, "This is my lawyer! We have special permission to be back here! How would you like another lawsuit on your hands?"  
  
The receptionist tried to keep her voice as polite as possible, "He has permission to be back here, ma'am. You don't."  
  
"Don't you know who I am?" the woman asked haughtily.  
  
Serena rolled her eyes. She knew who she was all right. Everyone did. The receptionist put her hands on her hips, "I do, and frankly, I don't care. I'll call security if I must." Serena grinned and made a mental note to give this receptionist an especially nice Christmas gift.  
  
The woman's green eyes flashed, "I am Beryl Vandergrift! My father owns half of this city! I demand to speak to your supervisor."  
  
Serena wanted to laugh at the picture Beryl made; her orange-red locks were frizzy and sticking out in all directions, her emerald eyes held a constant surprised look (which Serena deduced to be from a bit too much botox), and her once slender, pointed nose looked almost alien and was covered with a butterfly bandage. Beryl was the product of too much plastic surgery.   
  
Darien pried the fuming woman off of him and glared at her before turning to the receptionist, "Security will not be necessary. My client will vacate the premises immediately. I'm terribly sorry."  
  
The receptionist gave him a sympathetic smile, "That's quite all right."  
  
Serena watched raptly as Darien began to chew Beryl out in front of the entire emergency room staff, "What the hell were you thinking? We could have lost all of our grounds for the case! I told you to wait in the lobby!" he barked.  
  
Beryl slithered up to him and pouted. Slithered was the correct term due to the skin-tight, lime green snakeskin dress that she wore. Serena wanted to vomit as she spoke with saccharine sweetness, "Darien, I only wanted to find you, baby."  
  
He all but threw her off of him. "First of all, it's Mr. Shields to you. Secondly, you are going to go and sit in that lobby until I come and get you. You will not say anything to anyone without my counsel. Understood?"  
  
At that moment, even Serena was intimidated by Darien. He made everyone feel as though they were two inches tall with his icy glare and deep, bellowing voice. She watched in amusement as Beryl's face reddened.  
  
Before leaving, Beryl noticed Serena at Darien's side and Serena could see the jealousy in her crazed green eyes, "What are you doing here?" She said 'you' as though she were the scum of the earth.  
  
Serena stood unfazed, "Darien and I were attending to some... business."  
  
Beryl looked from Serena to Darien in disbelief before finally turning to Darien, "She's another client?"  
  
Darien smirked and put an arm around Serena's waist, "No. We were attending to personal business that I would much like to finish," he dismissed her as though she were nothing and Serena wanted to kiss him for it.  
  
Beryl glared at her and Serena smiled in return. Just as Beryl turned to stalk off, Serena decided to finally give her a taste of her own medicine. "Hey Beryl," she called as the fuming woman stopped, "Michael Jackson called, he wants his nose back!"  
  
To Beryl's humiliation and Serena's shock, the surrounding spectators began to clap and cheer for Serena. Beryl eyes darted back and forth as she panicked, considering that no one had ever stood up to her before. She ran out of the room, mortified. Darien began to laugh and Serena smiled, "I think that was the most satisfying thing I've ever done."  
  
She glanced over at Darien who attempted to control his laughter. "I don't care if I do get fired from the case- that was truly hilarious!"  
  
When Darien quieted down, Serena spoke cautiously, "What is she to you?"  
  
He grew serious and placed his hands on her shoulders, "A paycheck. Nothing more." She raised an eyebrow in response. He rested his forehead on hers and his glacial blue eyes bore into hers, "I know that with my track record you have no reason to believe me, but for once, I'm telling the truth. There is nothing going on between us except seventy-five dollars an hour for my legal counsel. You have every reason not to, but please trust me."  
  
Serena stepped back, astonished at the fact that she actually believed that he was telling the truth. She gave a slight smile, "Well okay, but lying is what you're paid to do, so I'm not even sure why I believe you."  
  
Just as he was about to reply, the intercom turned on, "Nurse Tsukino, please report to room 948 immediately."  
  
She groaned, "I am so late."  
  
He patted her shoulder. "Go. Save a life. I need to go and... how did you put it? Ah, yes... lie to some people anyway."  
  
She shook her head and headed for the operating room, "I'll see you Saturday."  
  
He grinned and gazed at her rapidly disappearing figure, "Can't wait!"  
  
By the end of the week, all Serena wanted to do was sleep. Everything seemed to go wrong. She had gotten in trouble for being late, accidentally mixed medications, and lost a child in surgery. When Saturday night rolled around, she didn't think that she even had the energy to sit through dinner, much less with Darien. She had been planning on buying a dress for the evening but hadn't found the time. Grudgingly, she reached for the phone to call Mina and ask to borrow a dress, but she suddenly froze. If she borrowed something from Mina, then Mina would automatically feel that she had the right to meddle. Meddling would be a problem. She walked over to her closet.  
  
Once deciding that she had no idea what to do, she decided to call upon a voice of reason... well sort of. Raye. She dialed and turned on the speakerphone while she rummaged through her closet.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"I need help, Raye," she whined as she sat in the middle of her floor in despair.  
  
"What time is he coming?" Raye asked knowingly.  
  
Serena shook her head, "How did you know?"  
  
"The shortness of breath and the helplessness in your voice. I was once a bachelorette too, you know." Serena laughed in response and pulled out a pair of spiked heels before throwing them back into the 'no' pile. "What do you need?" Raye asked.  
  
"An outfit," Serena replied helplessly, "One that says 'Look at me, I'm hot' yet 'I didn't spend too much time think about what to wear.'"  
  
"Why didn't you just call Mina?"  
  
"I wanted 'look at me, I'm hot,' not 'look at me, I'm a skank'."  
  
Raye laughed, "Plastic dress, case in point. I'll see you in five minutes."  
  
True to her word, Raye arrived at Serena's apartment five minutes later with a garment bag in hand.  
  
Serena carefully opened the bag to find a sparkling red dress with a halter neck and plunging "V" neckline. She squealed in delight, "Raye! Where did you find this? It must have cost a fortune!"  
  
Raye smiled in satisfaction as she took out the matching shoes, wrap, and purse, "Surprisingly, no. I found it at an antique shop about a month ago. Since I can't wear it now, I guess you can have it."  
  
Serena looked at her, bewildered, as she came to sit beside Raye on the bed, "Why can't you wear it?" Raye blushed in response and Serena's eyes grew wide, "My God, Raye, you're blushing! I never thought I'd see the day! What happened?"  
  
"Chad and I are going to have a baby..." she trailed off shyly.  
  
Serena began to jump up and down on the bed, "A baby! How? When?"  
  
Raye smacked her, "You know how, stupid. As for the when... who knew Best Western could be so romantic?"  
  
Serena squealed, "Raye!"  
  
Raye shook her head. "Enough about that- if you don't hurry, you won't be ready in time and we want to impress, don't we?"  
  
She sobered, "We do."  
  
Fifteen minutes later, after threats on Serena's life about staying still while applying makeup and minor puncture wounds, Serena was ready. She stood in front of her vanity mirror inspecting her appearance. "Well, I suppose this is as good as it's going to get."  
  
"If I didn't run the risk of messing up my fine work, I'd slap you," Raye reproached before her expression softened, "You look wonderful, Serena."  
  
Serena smiled, "Thanks Raye. Who knew that you had such a soft side?"  
  
Raye was about to reply with what Serena was sure to be a cutting retort when her doorbell rang. Serena hurried to the door and grabbed her purse on the way. Raye fixed Serena's wrap and touched up her makeup one last time. "Now you're ready. I'll go and hide and let myself out once you've left. Have fun!" Raye scampered off strangely giddy and Serena shook her head in amazement.  
  
Serena took a deep breath and opened the door. Her face reddened as she peeked at her date from beneath her lashes. Perfect, as usual. The white tuxedo he wore seemed to be made for him and was a stark contrast against the blood red rose tucked in his lapel. His black hair was tousled and he wore a look of complete shock on his flawless face. She noticed, in his stupor, that he held a bouquet in his left hand. She raised an eyebrow in question.  
  
Darien stood at the entryway to her apartment in awe as he stared at her, "You look...wonderful..." he stumbled over his words.  
  
She gazed back, unaffected, and responded blandly, "Thank you. So do you." 'Eat your heart out, asshole' she thought as she smiled at him politely. She looked pointedly at the bouquet.  
  
He broke out of this stupor, "Oh... uh... these are for you..." He awkwardly offered a dozen long-stemmed red roses to her.  
  
She regarded them coolly, "Thank you. I'll just go and put these in water." As she walked into the kitchen, she turned around to see him uncomfortably shifting from side to side in her doorway. She smiled slightly, "You may come in if you'd like."  
  
He grinned, "Thanks."  
  
Reaching for a vase, she turned to him, "Would you like a drink?"  
  
She watched as he stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced at her nervously, "I'd love one but I can't."  
  
"Ever the responsible driver," she said as she put the flowers in water.  
  
"Yeah... that's me..." Darien trailed off anxiously.  
  
She placed the vase on the counter and walked to the door, "Ready?" she asked, looking over her shoulder.  
  
"What? Oh... uh... yeah..." he responded in an embarrassed tone, having been caught staring.  
  
Serena smiled knowingly and lead him out of her apartment. He was already taking the bait.  
  
Twenty minutes later, after a painstakingly silent car ride, they arrived at Chez Pierre. Darien tossed his keys to the valet boy and guided Serena into the extravagantly decorated restaurant. Serena gazed appreciatively at her lavish surroundings. Directly above her was a massive crystal chandelier that illuminated the ornate gilded ceiling. She walked carefully through the entrance, knowing full well that she couldn't afford to break anything, considering that her surroundings were worth more than she was.  
  
"Serena?" a thickly accented voice called, snapping her out of her musings.  
  
She froze. She knew that voice. It was Jacques. Tensely turning towards her ex-boyfriend, she felt Darien's hand tighten at her hip. Noticing that he stood behind a podium, she deduced that he was the host. Lovely. What an auspicious beginning to the night. She gave a tight smile, "Hello Jacques. I would have thought that you would be in Paris by now."  
  
The dark-haired Frenchman looked sheepish, "Oui... I should, but it just did not work out."  
  
She looked upon him with false sympathy, "Oh, what a shame." Remembering that Darien was behind her, completely in the dark, she turned to him, "Darien, meet Jacques. Jacques, Darien."  
  
The two regarded each other jealously. Darien drew her even closer as he held out his hand in courtesy. "Nice to meet you," he said, full of contempt.  
  
"Likewise," Jacques replied dispassionately. He turned back to Serena with a smile full of charm that would have made her swoon a month earlier. Now it just seemed contrived and slick. "Do you have a reservation, chérie?"  
  
Darien stepped in, envy apparent in his frigid sapphire eyes, "We have a reservation under Shields."  
  
Jacques quickly scanned his book and looked up with a smirk, "Oui, you do, but this table is... unacceptable," his chocolate brown eyes gazed at Serena enchantingly, "For you, my Serena, I will get a much better table."  
  
Serena winced at the nearly crushing grip at her side as she watched Darien barely suppress his anger. She decided to take advantage of the situation to the fullest and smiled brightly, "Thank you, Jacques. I really appreciate it."  
  
Darien walked stiffly behind Serena to the table and glared at Jacques when he pulled out Serena's chair for her. After the sickening display was over, he spoke through clenched teeth, "Thank you, that will be all."  
  
After Jacques left, Darien sat in tense silence. He glared at the menu, "Well what the hell was that?"  
  
She sighed, "Jacques is just... an ex of mine. We parted on bad terms."  
  
Darien looked up, seemingly remorseful, "Really? I'm sorry."  
  
She shrugged, "It's not your fault that he's an ass."  
  
He smiled in relief, "Well I'm sorry for being one. I didn't know."  
  
She nearly winced as she thought about how Darien's rejection hurt ten times worse than Jacques', but suppressed the hurt and anger with a friendly smile. "Forgiven."  
  
Just then, their waiter stepped up to the table. The bleach blond haired teenage boy took in a breath and began in a bored tone, "Hello. I'm Kyle and I'll be your waiter this evening. Would you like to hear about the special?"  
  
Serena smiled in amusement, "That's all right." She glanced over at Darien, "What are you getting?"  
  
"I think I'll have the seared foie gras," he replied, handing the waiter his menu.  
  
Not knowing any other foreign names on the menu, she assumed foie gras was pretty safe, "I'll have the same."  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Kyle arrived with their entrees. After one experimental bite, Serena dug into the delicious meal. Darien paused between bites, "You like?"  
  
She nodded, "I love. I've never had anything like this before."  
  
As she continued to eat, he attempted to make conversation, "I heard that the chef here uses innovative techniques on old recipes. That's why I wanted to try this place."  
  
"Really?" she asked, pausing only momentarily before returning to her meal.  
  
He nodded, "Actually, I ordered the foie gras because the chef devised some new technique by searing it in peanut oil."  
  
Serena's fork clattered to the plate and she sat in frozen shock. "Peanut oil? Did you say peanut oil?"  
  
His gazed at her in confusion, "Yes... why?"  
  
Her eyes widened and she pushed back her chair, "I have to go," she said worriedly.  
  
He immediately stood up, "What? Why? What did I do?" he asked in utter disbelief.  
  
She looked around impatiently, "You didn't do anything. I'm allergic to peanuts. I need to get to a hospital."  
  
Darien nodded and found their waiter flirting with a hostess, "Excuse me, but what does the chef use in the seared foie gras?"  
  
Kyle seemed annoyed, "Um... like duck... and... stuff... I guess."  
  
Darien looked at him urgently, "Peanut oil! He uses peanut oil in it, doesn't he?"  
  
"Um... I guess..." Kyle replied stupidly.  
  
"Holy shit!" Darien cried and the entire restaurant turned to look at him.  
  
"Dude... you need to chill..." Kyle said in a mellow tone.  
  
"No! I won't chill! You know what you need to do? You need to get the check so I can get my date to the hospital. Wait. Here's a hundred dollars. Keep the change and go get an education!" With that, Darien took Serena by the arm and rushed out of the restaurant.  
  
As they ran toward Darien's car, they heard someone shouting behind them. Darien looked over his shoulder to see Jacques running to catch up, "Wait! Let me take Serena to the hospital!"  
  
Darien stopped, utterly pissed, "Um, let me think about it...no."  
  
"You are obviously not fit to take care for her. She needs me," Jacques said haughtily.  
  
Serena's eyes widened as she saw a look of pure hatred and frustration in Darien's eyes. Before she knew what was happening, Darien's fist flew forward like lightning as he punched Jacques squarely in the jaw. Darien grinned in satisfaction, "Suck on that, asshole!" Serena gave an amused smile in response. He looked at her worriedly, "We'd better get you to the hospital."  
  
Five minutes later, Darien and Serena arrived at Springfield General Hospital. Serena was sure that she wasn't going to make it to the hospital alive, let alone to get treatment, with the way that Darien was speeding. He nearly parked on the sidewalk in his haste to get to the building. Darien rushed her through the entrance to emergency and she was almost touched by the way that he cared for her. Almost. All she had to do was think of that night at the arcade and the bitter resentment came rushing back. A dissonant beeping sound took her out of her thoughts and she realized that she had arrived in the very full emergency room.  
  
Serena walked over to the front desk and greeted the receptionist, "Hi Maggie."  
  
The receptionist looked at Serena in surprise, "Serena? I didn't know you were working tonight," she glanced at Serena's formal attire, "in that."  
  
Serena sighed in agitation, "I'm not. I need to see a doctor. I'm afraid that I accidentally ate something with peanuts and I'm terribly allergic."  
  
Maggie smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry but we're packed right now. I'll have a doctor come and look at you as soon as there's one available."  
  
Serena thanked her and looked around the emergency room for a place to sit. Suddenly, she gasped and ran behind Darien, "Hide me!" she hissed, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible.  
  
Darien gazed at her, bewildered, "What are you hiding from?"  
  
To Serena's chagrin and Darien's amusement, a portly man wearing a cape waddled over to Serena with an equally strangely dressed woman in tow. The man bowed to Serena, "Greetings Serena! It feels as though I haven't seen you since the Second Age!"  
  
Serena squeezed her eyes shut and briefly wished for some divine intervention, but when nothing happened, she gave a tight smile and decided to be brave, "Hello, Frodo." She turned to Darien who seemed quite amused by the situation, "Darien, this is Frodo Baggins. Frodo, this is Darien," she decided to be kind to Darien and not give out his last name to the wacko. She could hear Darien snickering and she smacked him in the stomach as discretely as possible.   
  
Frodo seemed curiously unaffected and gave the 'live long and prosper' sign to Darien, "Greetings Darien."  
  
Darien, who was obviously trying not to laugh, gave a strangled "Hello."  
  
"What brings you to the emergency room this night, my precious?"  
  
Darien's eyes widened and Serena, although somewhat used to Frodo's strange sayings, stifled a laugh, "I had an allergic reaction to something that I ate," she decided that giving out minimum information would be safest.  
  
"Ah," Frodo nodded solemnly, "I too was once ill from what I consumed. I once baked a loaf of Elven bread and was sick for light years, light years I tell you!"  
  
Serena gave a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry... What are you here for?" she attempted to be friendly without seeming too friendly.  
  
Frodo took the woman's hand, "Leia and I were reenacting scene 21 from Episode Two when we had a slight accident with a light saber." Frodo lifted the woman's sleeve to reveal a large gash along her arm and looked at her lovingly.  
  
Serena smiled knowingly and smacked Darien once again when he began to snicker, "And who is Leia?"  
  
The woman behind Frodo stepped forward and Serena got a good look at her for the first time. She was short and slight with greasy black hair and coke-bottle glasses. She gave a meek response, "I am."  
  
Frodo beamed proudly, "The force brought Leia and I together at the Star Wars Convention."  
  
Serena saw Darien shaking with laughter and attempted to distract them, "How wonderful for you! I'm sure that you two will be very happy together."  
  
Frodo put his burly arm around Leia and hugged her close, "Yes, like Arwen and Aragorn our love was meant to be. She, the elf-like beauty, and I-"  
  
"Well that's just great. Unfortunately, I think a nurse is calling Serena's name so we'd better go. Nice meeting you," Darien interjected and waved goodbye to the strange couple.  
  
Serena looked at Darien reproachfully and waved goodbye to Frodo and Leia. When they were a safe distance away, she shook her head and whispered, "That was so strange."  
  
"So how did you meet Frodo?" he asked with a snicker.  
  
"You don't want to know," she replied with a tired smile, "Good Lord, these hives are itchy," she complained and noticed that the rash was getting much worse.  
  
He took her arm and inspected it, concerned, "We need to get a doctor. This doesn't look good."  
  
As if on cue, a nurse called Serena's name.  
  
Serena and Darien followed the nurse back to a room where they sat for five long minutes. After flipping through the channels on the TV in the room and realizing that the only shows on were Fresh Prince reruns, Serena tiredly turned off the TV. She sighed, "Lovely. We're stuck here with nothing to do."  
  
He smirked, "I'm hurt. Aren't I entertaining enough?"  
  
Before she could reply, a tall, middle-aged man walked into the room. "Hello Serena. What seems to be the problem?"  
  
"Hello Dr. Williams," she'd worked with this doctor in surgery once or twice, "I accidentally ate something with peanuts and I'm allergic."  
  
"All right. Let's have a look." He inspected the rapidly growing rash on her arms and shook his head, "Besides the rash, what are your symptoms?"  
  
"Um... I'm having a little trouble breathing and I'm slightly dizzy," she looked at the doctor worriedly.  
  
He grimaced, "Due to the severity of your reaction, I'd like to give you an Epinephrine shot."  
  
She smiled in relief. A shot was nothing.  
  
"In the rear."  
  
Her eyes widened, "What? Why?"  
  
"Nurse Tsukino, you've seen Epinephrine shots before. They're painful. A shot in the rear won't hurt as much. It's the best way."  
  
She looked from the doctor to Darien in embarrassment, "There must be some other way..."  
  
The doctor grimaced, "I don't think you realize how severe this reaction is, Serena. We have to do this now." He quickly left the room to prepare the injection.  
  
Darien gave a slight smile, "I never thought I'd get to see you naked on the first date, Serena."  
  
Serena scowled at him, "You won't. You're waiting outside."  
  
Two hours later, Serena walked out of the room exhausted. Darien, who was reading a magazine in a chair outside the room, started when he saw his drained date.  
  
Serena wearily smirked at his choice of reading material, "You read COSMOgirl?"  
  
He smiled back tiredly, "Yes, and I now know four moves to a sexy butt."  
  
She grinned, "Thanks for waiting."  
  
Grabbing his keys out of his pocket, Darien led her out of the hospital. "No problem," he responded, and suddenly froze.   
  
Serena stared at him, confused, "What's wrong?"  
  
He paled, "Where is my car?"  
  
She froze as well, "Oh no..."  
  
He turned to her in dread. "I parked it in the 'No Parking Zone,' didn't I?"  
  
Serena's eyes widened, "I'm so sorry..."  
  
For a moment, he was silent and Serena thought that he was going to cry. After a minute, he took a deep breath, "It's okay...we'll just take the bus home."  
  
She smiled weakly and followed him to the stop in front of the hospital.  
  
"You know what's really funny?" she asked tiredly.  
  
"What?" Darien asked in a drained tone.  
  
"We could have just called an ambulance from the restaurant and this whole fiasco could have been avoided."  
  
He smiled, "I'll remember that next time I poison a date."  
  
She grinned and they sat in amicable silence.  
  
He noticed her shivering, "Here, take my jacket. It's cold and you've been through hell."  
  
She smiled gratefully and took the jacket, "Thanks."  
  
They sat for a while until a bus stopped and they wearily climbed the steps. Darien paid their fares and they sat at the first filthy, albeit empty seat that they saw. Everyone on the bus stared at the couple in their formal attire.  
  
Darien glared as he loosened his tie. "What are you looking at?" he growled at the innocent passengers.  
  
Serena sighed and debated whether or not to lean against Darien or the grimy window. At that point, she was too tired to care and leaned up against his warm body. She looked up at him in pity, "This bus stops in front of my building. You can call a cab from my apartment if you'd like."  
  
He smiled weakly and put his arm around her, "Thanks."  
  
When the bus had finally stopped in front of Serena's building, both she and Darien were half-asleep. Darien roused her and they slowly made their way from the bus to her building. They took the elevator up to her floor and wearily trudged to her apartment. Serena opened the door to the dark flat and groped for the light switch. When she found it, she threw her purse on the couch and made her way to the kitchen. Darien slowly followed. She turned to him, "Would you like some coffee? I'm afraid that I don't have much else..."  
  
He smiled sleepily at her gesture, "No thanks. I'd better be on my way."  
  
She nodded and handed him her phone. While he talked, she began to over-analyze his response. Had he already had enough of her? She was actually embarrassed about what a bad date she was. It was just as well, she mused, because someone would have ended up hurt anyway.  
  
"A cab will be here in five minutes," he said, breaking her out of her thoughts.  
  
She nodded, "I'll walk you down."  
  
They walked to the lobby in an uncomfortable silence. Darien had kept shifting his weight from side to side in the elevator and it had driven Serena mad. She'd been able to do nothing but stare at her now worn-in shoes. Finally they made it to the entrance of the building.  
  
Darien smiled slightly, "I'm sorry about tonight. If it's worth anything, I still had fun," he paused and then began again nervously, "I'd like to see you again, that is if you'd go within ten feet of me after tonight."  
  
Serena flashed a bright smile at him. Bingo. "I'd love to."  
  
He raised his eyebrows in surprise and then his face broke into a sweet, boyish grin, "Really? Great. I'll call you."  
  
For some reason, she knew that he would. And for some strange reason, she'd look forward to it. "Wonderful."  
  
They stood facing each other awkwardly and Serena felt like a teenager all over again. He gave a tiny half-smile that Serena had grown accustomed to over the night and took her hands, sending little sparks up her freezing skin. She watched as he stepped closer to her ever so slightly. She tilted her head up towards his, moving closer into his warm embrace and smelled the same uniquely intoxicating scent that she had years ago. This however, sent warning bells through her head and just as she felt his breath on her face, she turned so that his lips brushed her cheek.  
  
His eyes opened in surprise and he smiled sheepishly, "I should have seen that one coming." He slowly stepped back, "I can wait."  
  
She blushed and luckily, the cab came to her rescue. He got in and just before driving away he peeked his head out the window and his voice had a low, husky quality to it, "I'd wait forever for you."  
  
With that, the cab sped away and Serena groaned. What had she gotten herself into?  
  
END CHAPTER FIVE  
  
  
  
AN: I don't know what it is... Frodo holds a special place in my heart. I hope you liked this one. I drew from my own experience for the hospital scene. A few months ago, I waited for five hours in Emergency watching nothing but Fresh Prince because the tv couldn't get any other channels. One can only take so much of Will Smith in hot pink pants. Also, I've gotten some reviews about how Darien acted like nothing was wrong. I know after this chapter some (or many) people will be like, 'why didn't she bring up what he did to her?' Yes, yes, I know. Patience. It will come up. :)  
  
~Usabelle 


	6. Chapter Six: What Did You Say?

AN: Hello hello. Who'd have thought that I'd be back? I didn't. Recently, a good friend of mine was killed in a car accident. After that, my aunt was diagnosed with leukemia and was hospitalized. It's just been a bad month all around. For a while, I actually considered discontinuing the story. Don't start throwing things at me yet- as you can see I updated. I feel that I owe it to my readers to finish it up. Don't get me wrong- I DO want to write it. I'm not sure how fast my updates will be coming anymore because I want to make sure that I'm perfectly happy with everything that I post. I'm not so sure that the last chapter was well received. But I am trying! So please read and review- I'd like to know what you think. Thanks a bunch!  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Nothing. Six months together and he had said nothing. Six months of standing on edge, waiting with baited breath for him to utter the words she had long expected to hear. No "I was a jerk when we were younger," no "I didn't mean to hurt you," or even a simple "I'm sorry." Tension grew between them and hung in the air so thick that it drove her mad.  
  
She kicked a pillow across the room in frustration. What kind of normal person wouldn't bring up an extensive, albeit painful, past after six months of being together? Then again, she mused, what normal person would do such a thing to a young girl? Falling back onto the tangled mass of blankets on her bed, twisted from many nights of restlessness, she gave a heavy sigh. It was their three-month anniversary and she was meeting him that evening for, as he put it, "A quiet meal at home." Somehow she doubted that it would be quiet.  
  
In the past few months, she and Darien had become astonishingly intimate. It seemed as though they had spent every day for the past three months together and oddly enough, she'd enjoyed every second. He was so different from what she remembered; now he was sweet, thoughtful, and kind... nothing like the distant eighteen year old that she once knew. His possessive, affectionate behavior left her even more confused than before.  
  
She closed her eyes, trying to remember when his personality began to show through. With a sudden burst of clarity, she realized that his first definitive affectionate act was their first kiss.  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
"I feel like an idiot," Serena deadpanned as she looked wearily around the nearly deserted ice skating rink. She clutched onto Darien for dear life. "I haven't done this since I was ten... and even then I was terrible. I'm not called the Klutz Queen for nothing."  
  
Darien grinned and grasped her hand as he pulled her out onto the ice. "Well then, it's high time you've learned the right way to do it. It's simple... and there's a trick to it."  
  
She raised an eyebrow and waddled onto the ice. "And what's that?"  
  
"Don't fall," he replied easily as he effortlessly glided on the ice.  
  
She attempted to catch up to him but failed miserably and whined, "It's so much easier for you! You have hockey skates! I have skates with the funny little spikes on the blade AND they're cutting off my circulation! How is this considered fun?"  
  
To her annoyance, he began to skate in circles around her as she fumbled about clumsily. "First of all, they're called toepicks and they're not that hard to skate with. Secondly, I'm buying you hot chocolate later so quit complaining."  
  
She pouted, "There better be mountains of whipped cream on top of it. With cookies. Chocolate ones."  
  
He laughed as he spun her around, making the world tilt crazily before her. "Same old Meatball Head."  
  
Once her surroundings stopped spinning, she threw him a glare and pushed him playfully. Somewhere in the middle of her teasing jab, her skates became twisted. Panicking as she began to lose her balance, she grabbed onto the first thing in front of her: Darien. She screeched as they crashed onto the ice.  
  
Worried blue eyes stared up at her as she fought to get her bearings back. "You okay?" he asked, his hands settling on her lower back.  
  
She let her head crash onto his chest in embarrassment, "No one saw that, right?"  
  
He smirked, "No, but they might be seeing you straddle me. Not that I mind."  
  
Her eyes widened as she attempted to scramble off of him, but only succeeded in falling back onto his warm body. "Um... sorry..." she stammered uncomfortably.  
  
Catching her off-guard, he turned so that her back was to the ice, "Better?" he asked with a grin that made her heart pound.  
  
She giggled self-consciously. "Actually, I'm quite cold."  
  
"Might I warm you up then?"  
  
"I don't know... I could unman you with this blade. Just something to keep in mind."  
  
He leaned closer to her face, "Is that any way to thank your rescuer?"  
  
She smirked. "Rescuer? I think not."  
  
"I think that we'd have much more fun if we didn't talk."  
  
"Really? And what do you propose we mmpphhh-" To her shock, he cut her off by pressing his lips to hers and she felt something akin to an electric shock travel up her spine. After the initial surprise wore off, her eyes fluttered closed and she gave in to the moment. She certainly was warm now.   
  
Moments later, he pulled away, breathing labored, with a blush staining his cheeks. "I propose we do that."  
  
She grinned. "I propose we continue."  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Serena shook her head at the memory. Ever since that date they'd been inseparable. He'd taken her to the fair, the movies, even to a karaoke bar where they sang a painstakingly horrible rendition of "I Got You Babe." If that wasn't love, then what was? She grimaced at the idea that she actually felt something for him other than contempt; the very idea that it was no longer a game in her mind was ridiculous. Sighing, she sat up and weighed her options. He was spontaneous. He was exciting. He was beyond handsome. He was attentive. He was... still the same boy that had broken her heart years ago.  
  
Throwing open her closet door, she decided on a simple black dress buried in the far corner. Scrutinizing the dress more closely, she realized that it was the same dress she'd worn to the arcade the night that all of her hopes and dreams were shattered.  
  
"Well isn't that ironic?" she asked herself as she smoothed out wrinkles in the dress. "Little black dress, you've gotten me through the horrors of adolescence. You'll get me through tonight."  
  
***  
  
An hour later, she stood on Darien's doorstep, anxiously waiting for him to answer the door. She knew that he had something planned, but she had no idea what. Playing with her small beaded purse, she frowned. She didn't like it when she didn't have control over a situation. And she had no control over this. She smiled bitterly at her inner-monologue. Since when had she become so stodgy? So organized? So... Darien-like? 'No,' she thought, 'He's not like that anymore. He doesn't worry about everything. He's not a control freak. He's what I used to be.' She found it funny how the roles reversed because of one night.   
  
A smooth voice brought her out of her reflection. "I didn't invite you to stand outside of my house, you know."  
  
She turned to face a very relaxed and very delicious-looking Darien. How was it that he could wear a half-untucked shirt and jeans and still look incredible? She gracefully walked past him into the house, head held high. "I was thinking."  
  
He took her coat and looked at her curiously. "About what?"  
  
She shook her head. "Nothing important."  
  
Pausing, he looked her up and down and grinned, "I like your dress."  
  
Somehow, she suppressed the scream of frustration at the oh-so-ironic situation. Even though she wanted to say, "Somehow I managed to squeeze into it," she simply said, "Thanks."  
  
Taking her hand, he guided her from the entryway to the dining room. "What's the occasion?"  
  
She shrugged her shoulders and gave a slightly malicious grin. "Oh, nothing important. Just dinner with some conceited j-" The words were frozen in her throat as she looked about the massive room. There must have been over a hundred candles softly illuminating the usually stark white room.  
  
He put his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her, resting his head in the crook of her neck. "Do you like it?"  
  
She turned around and wrapped her arms around him, flashing a brilliant smile. "I love it. How long did this take you?"  
  
He looked at her reproachfully and shook his head. "That's not for you to worry about."  
  
"I know... I worry too much."  
  
"You do. You know, you are an absolute mystery to me, Serena Tsukino," he drawled.  
  
She looked at him inquisitively. "What do you mean?"  
  
He shrugged, "I dunno... you're just different than how you used to be."  
  
Crossing her arms defensively, she prepared for the worst. "Good different or bad different?"  
  
He gave her a quick slap on the behind before walking into the adjoining kitchen. "Definitely good," he called.  
  
Her eyes began to water and she struggled to keep the tears at bay. So she really was that bad when she was fifteen. She would have been happier with 'bad different.' Closing her eyes and swallowing the lump in her throat, she tried to calm herself as best she could.  
  
Darien poked his head out of the kitchen, "What are you doing waiting out there?"  
  
"Nothing," she said quietly. "Absolutely nothing."  
  
***  
  
After dinner, they sat on his couch, contentedly full, watching Moulin Rouge. She had changed into one of his college t-shirts and pants that were far too big and were fastened with a hair clip to keep from falling down because he'd commented on how uncomfortable she looked. 'If he only knew...' she thought as she mimicked Darien by putting the footstool up on the plush leather couch where they sat.  
  
Serena sighed as she watched Christian sing to Satine. "Ewan McGregor is soooo romantic. And he just has the best voice," she gushed.   
  
Putting an arm around her, he smirked arrogantly. "You must like him because he reminds you of me. Completely understandable."  
  
She rolled her eyes and looked at him mischievously. "Actually, you remind me more of the duke..."  
  
"You're kidding me, right?" he deadpanned.  
  
"Of course not. That same obliviousness, arrogance, stupidity... It's all there," she teased. "In fact, I'm surprised that I didn't see it before. The resemblance really is quite remarkable."  
  
He tossed a pillow at her and pouted.  
  
Laughing, she patted him on the shoulder consolingly. "Aww... don't feel bad. The duke could be sexy... I guess... um maybe if he lost the mustache... and the accent... oh who I am kidding? The duke couldn't be sexy if he was the last man on earth!"  
  
He glared at her and turned back to the T.V. "Let's just watch the movie."  
  
Toward the end of the movie, Serena wiped furiously at the tears threatening to spill from her eyes as they watched the tragic ending. She stared with watery eyes at the TV screen. "You know, Moulin Rouge was not the happiest movie to watch."  
  
He turned to face her. "You didn't like it?"  
  
"Nah... I just don't like the ending."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I dunno. I watch movies to escape real life, not to get more depressed. I know they're realistic, but I don't like unhappy endings."  
  
He put his arm around her and gave a slight smile. "They're not that realistic. There are happy endings... sometimes people just don't see them."  
  
She brought her knees up to her chest and looked at him wistfully. "You think so?"  
  
He kissed her cheek. "I know so."  
  
Giggling, she leaned against him and sighed. "You, my dear, are a true romantic."  
  
Pushing her back onto the couch and leaning over her with a mischievous look, he whispered, "You don't know the half of it."  
  
Running her hands through his soft black hair, she whispered, "Why don't you show me?" before pulling him down for a kiss.  
  
He responded with fervor, skillfully parting her lips with his tongue, slowly delving into her mouth. When he began to lift her long, gray t-shirt, she stilled his hand and briefly broke the kiss.  
  
She smiled between butterfly kisses, "I'm not..." she giggled as he began to trail kisses down her neck, "that kind of girl..." she trailed off and for the first time in a very long time, decided to simply enjoy the moment.  
  
He murmured something against her neck and she grinned, cupping his face and bringing it up to hers. "What was that?"  
  
His eyes glowed with a radiance that she had never seen before as he kissed her briefly once more. He gazed searchingly into her eyes before whispering roughly, "I love you."  
  
She immediately froze beneath him and her heart seemed to cease its frantic pounding. Lying there, speechless, she seemed to look straight through him.  
  
Cerulean eyes gazed her with concern, "Are you okay? I mean... you don't have to say anything back. I just... I just wanted to let you know how I feel..." he stammered in apprehension before lovingly pushing golden wisps of hair away from her face.  
  
She pulled away from his hand and gently pushed him off of her as she moved to a sitting position. Pulling down the worn shirt and folding her hands in her lap, she attempted to gain a semblance of composure. She stared at a fixed point on the wall and tried not to look at him. "I can't do this," she said quietly, brokenly.  
  
He suddenly straightened and stared at her anxiously. "What do you mean?" he asked. She simply stared at the twisting hands in her lap. "What do you mean? Answer me! For God's sake, at least look at me!" he cried in a distressed tone.  
  
She lifted her face to him, only to reveal the unshed tears she'd been so desperately trying to hide. "I mean that I don't think that we should be together anymore."  
  
"No... no... no! Serena you don't mean that!" he cried, looking at her frantically. "I can change! I'll even take it back if you want me to!"  
  
She gazed at him sadly, "There's no sense in taking it back. Besides, it's not your fault anyways."  
  
"Like hell it isn't!" he yelled, then quieted and took her hands. "Just tell me what's wrong. I can fix it, I promise you."  
  
Furiously shaking her head, she tore her hands out of his grasp and began to pace back and forth. "You can't fix something that's been broken for so long," she whispered, almost to herself.  
  
"Damn it, Serena, at least give me a straight answer!"  
  
"You can't love someone you know nothing about. And you know nothing about me! Nothing!" she screamed, hot tears finally escaping her eyes.  
  
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair in frustration, "I do know you, Serena, and because I know you, I love you. I don't understand what you want me to do..."  
  
She smiled bitterly, "I want nothing that you can give me."  
  
A look of intense hurt crossed his face, yet he pressed on, "Care to explain?"  
  
"Can you give me back my adolescence, Darien? Can you give me back my confidence, my pride, my heart? Can you?" she asked brokenly as a few more crystalline tears slipped out.  
  
He remained silent, her meaning slowly dawning on him.  
  
She nodded fatalistically and smirked, "And here's where the interrogation stops. Tell me, Darien, how long were you planning to wait before bringing it up? The wedding night? Never? You can't avoid it anymore! You can't avoid me anymore!"  
  
He rested his head in his hands and sat for another moment in silence before slowly speaking. "I would have eventually brought it up." She smirked and he sighed, "There just wasn't any good moment to do it. What was I going to say? 'Sorry I screwed you over when we were kids' during dinner? Excuse me if the idea didn't appeal to me."  
  
"Screwed me over? That's what you think you did? You ruined me, Darien! You tore my heart into a million pieces and then trampled what was left!"  
  
He swallowed, "I thought we'd be over this by now..."  
  
"Maybe you can suppress what happened, but I can't! It must have been so easy for you brush it off and move on with your life. But I couldn't! I've had to live with the fact that I've never been good enough and that I never will be good enough for ten years! Sure, you look back on that night with a little remorse or regret. I look at it as the night that every single one of my fears came to life!"  
  
"I... I never realized..." he stuttered, his eyes a glassy blue, "I thought that since you were just a kid, you'd bounce back."  
  
"Just a kid..." she whispered in disbelief. "I wasn't just a kid! The pain that I went through was very adult and very real. Just because I was fifteen did not mean that I didn't have feelings! I'm still that fifteen year old, Darien! I'm still that girl that you rejected and humiliated! Maybe I look different, but I'm the same girl you broke!" she ended her tirade and looked at him with haunted azure eyes. "You can't love me because you didn't love the meatball headed fifteen year old. You didn't love me then and you don't love me now."  
  
He smiled at her bitterly. "How do you know that I don't love you? How do you know that I didn't go through just as much pain as you did these past few years?"  
  
Her eyes narrowed to small blue slits and she glared at him. "I know because I was there, Darien! I watched you ... with that... that despicable whore! I watched you name every last one of my less admirable traits and reject me publicly. And worst of all..." she took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "I watched you look at me with those coldly calm eyes of yours and tell me that you felt nothing for me."  
  
"I was so young..." he said, eyes filling with tears.  
  
"That's no excuse!" she shouted, whipping around to face him. "Come to think of it, you haven't given me any good excuses! Go ahead, you have my full attention," she said sharply and fell back onto the couch.  
  
He gazed at her dejectedly. "I know I haven't... I dunno... I was young and stupid. I guess that I was always the kid that no one noticed. I was always the different one. I didn't have parents; I didn't know what a family was like. The kids at the orphanage where I lived ignored me. Apparently there's even a hierarchy among kids," he smiled bitterly. "Come to think of it, no one has ever told me that they loved me. So when everyone started to pay attention to me, it was completely new... and I liked it. For once I was normal. I wasn't the orphan or the loner. For the first time in my life, I felt... accepted."  
  
"At my expense."  
  
He nodded solemnly and knelt before her, "Yes, it was at your expense. I didn't know what I wanted back then. But now I do. I want you, Serena. If I hadn't been so concerned with fitting in and having a girlfriend, maybe I would have realized it then."  
  
She sighed sorrowfully. "But that's just it, Darien. You would have had a girlfriend. Me. But you wanted Beryl. Maybe you still do... I don't know what to believe anymore."  
  
He shook his head urgently, seemingly vehemently opposed to her quiet statement. "No! I wanted what came with her: status. I never wanted her. And I certainly don't want her now."  
  
She looked at him skeptically and spoke in an acerbic tone. "Really Darien? Did you carry her books to all of her classes? Were you crowned Prom King and Queen? Did you sleep with her?"  
  
"Damn it Serena, I never loved her! I never felt anything for her!" he yelled defensively, yet pleadingly at the same time.  
  
Sadly lifting her gaze to his now tear-stained face, she said, "I'll take that as a yes." His silence spoke multitudes. She slowly stood up as her aching, tired muscles protested and began to gather her things. "I think I'd better go."  
  
"Serena! Serena, don't do this!" he pleaded desperately as he attempted to halt her departure. He seized the shaking hand that reached for the doorknob and held it to his chest. "Serena, I never wanted to hurt you. Please understand that. I know you'd be giving me exactly what I deserve, but please don't do this to me. To us."  
  
Once again, she began to cry and her usually bright eyes, reddened by tears, had an ethereal look to them. Opening the door and gazing back at him, she saw that he was crying as well and the sight nearly tore her heart in two. She spoke softly, memorizing everything about him, knowing that they would never be that close again. "I'm sorry Darien. You can't change the past... and you can't change the future. We're just different people. We aren't meant to be together. Just..." her voice broke and she struggled to continue, "Just remember that I did love you once. More than anything."  
  
With that, she gracefully walked out the door to her car, ignoring Darien's pained cries of her name. When she finally drove far enough away, she parked her car at the end of a street and let all of the pain she'd held in for ten years come out. She let her head crash against the steering wheel as she cried for her loss of innocence, her loss of hope, and worst of all, her loss of the one thing she'd wanted above all else: love.   
  
***  
  
An hour later, Serena managed to finally arrive at her apartment. After having to pull over three times because she couldn't see through her tears, she was drained. All she wanted to do was sleep. She threw her purse down and didn't even bother to turn on a light. In the far corner of the room, a brilliant red blinking light caught her eye among the inky darkness of her apartment. It was her answering machine. Rolling her eyes, she moved to turn on a light. Bright white light flooded the room and she groaned at the painful adjustment her eyes made. Grabbing Tylenol from a kitchen cabinet and filling a water glass, she downed the pills in an attempt to subdue the splitting headache that impaired her very thought. She pressed the 'Play' button on her answering machine as she held her pounding head.  
  
A quiet, hoarse voice resonated throughout the small kitchen. "Hi Serena. This is Allan Crane. Um... I'm sorry to leave a message like this... We haven't spoken in a while and I know that this is something you shouldn't do over the phone. I hate to tell you this, but... Ann... passed away last night."  
  
Serena's glass fell from her suddenly limp hands and shattered on the tile floor. She tuned out the rest of the message, only hearing the blood rushing through her head. Darien was gone. Ann was dead. She couldn't even begin to know how to deal with such loss. She stared at the hundreds of tiny glittering shards that covered the floor. She realized with a certain detachedness that she'd never felt before that her heart was the glass. The shards glittered and caught the light in such a way that it looked as though they were tears mourning a loss; full of pain and anguish yet breathtakingly beautiful. Yes, her heart was the glass, and it was shattered beyond repair.   
  
END CHAPTER SIX  
  
AN: Did you like it? Did you hate it? See, I told you she'd bring it up. :)I'm sorry that it's shorter, but for me to merge this and the next chapter would be a mess. This was a very experimental chapter so feedback would be appreciated. But this is not the end. Oh no, this is so not the end *cackles evilly*. Just a quick note: if you ever want to know how the next chapter is coming along or when I might update, just check the bio section because I usually update it every week or so. Thanks! 


	7. Chapter Seven: Fancy Meeting You Here

AN: I'm alive! Sorry for the wait! I really have nothing to say in this note, except thank you to my readers and reviewers. Please keep on leaving those reviews; they make me so very happy. Once again, thanks and enjoy the ride.  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply  
  
Chapter Seven: Fancy Meeting You Here  
  
A muffled chime of Für Elise could be heard amidst the bustling crowds in the airport. Struggling with luggage and flight papers, Serena attempted to find her ringing cell phone at the bottom of her purse. Feeling rather triumphant after finding it through receipts, credit cards, and makeup, her smile of satisfaction fell as she checked the number of the caller. She should have known this was coming.  
  
Groaning, she wearily turned on the phone and gave a bored, "Hello?"  
  
"YOU HAVE SOME NERVE!" Mina screamed on the other line. Serena held the phone away from her ear as her enraged friend continued her tirade. "Leaving me a message like that! How could you not call me?" Her screeches drifted into whines. "How could you not give details?"  
  
Serena rolled her eyes and adjusted the heavy bag on her shoulder while trying to find a seat in the crowded terminal. "I pretty much said all that there was to say, Mina."  
  
"Excuse me? All you said was, 'Hey Mina. Just wanted to let you know that I broke up with Darien and a friend of mine passed away. I'll be gone for a week. Get my mail for me.' That is pathetic!" The screeching was back.  
  
"I'm sorry that I couldn't let you in on every last detail of my life, but I'm rather busy and grief-stricken at the moment."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
She sighed and found an empty seat in a waiting area. "The airport. My flight leaves in twenty minutes."  
  
"So, you have time!" Mina said brightly. Serena shook her head. "Why don't I simply ask the questions and you answer?"  
  
Serena slumped in her chair. "Fine."  
  
"Okay!" Mina exclaimed, "First of all, who died?"  
  
"You have no tact at all, you know that?"  
  
"Less questions, more answers," Mina shot back.  
  
"A friend of mine from high school, Ann Crane. Of a brain aneurysm."  
  
Mina gasped, "How awful! Did you correspond with her at all?"  
  
Serena shrugged. "Letters... e-mails... We'd lost touch as of late."  
  
"So why are you going to her funeral?"  
  
Frowning, she fished for her passport while juggling her phone. "Do you even realize how terrible that sounds?" she sighed, "We were good friends for a long time and apparently, I'm in her will."  
  
"A twenty-five year old had a will?"  
  
"She had money... I guess just in case."  
  
"Still, a twenty-five year old died of a brain aneurysm? I'm no doctor but-"  
  
"Damn straight. Have a little respect, Mina, and don't question it."  
  
"Fine, fine. I'll let it go. But it sounds weird to me," she paused. "So where's the funeral, anyway?"  
  
"London. I guess her family lives there now. Her brother told me that she'd recently moved there to be closer to them."  
  
"Allan Crane?"  
  
"Yes, Allan Crane."  
  
"Mmm, Serena. That man was one of People's most eligible bachelors! Go after him!"  
  
"Mina, a funeral is not a place to hook up. Tackiness knows no bounds when it comes to you, does it?"  
  
Mina seemed to ignore the statement. "That brings me to my next question: what happened with Darien?"  
  
"Basically, he told me that he was in love with me and I dumped him." She decided that certain details best be left out of the story.  
  
"Oh come on, there had to be more to it than that!"  
  
She groaned, "Okay, okay. We had a fight about what happened when we were teenagers after he told me he loved me. I blew up at him and he apologized. I guess I didn't believe him and left. End of story." Somehow hearing what happened again made her feel less validated in dumping him.  
  
Mina was uncharacteristically quiet. "Are you okay?"  
  
She shrugged. "I dunno... I feel... empty. We spent nearly every day of six months together and now nothing. Maybe I felt more for him than I originally planned."  
  
"You can't plan love, Serena. Has he tried to contact you at all?"  
  
"Once. I saw his name on Caller ID, but I didn't pick up. What was I supposed to say? And still... it was a few days ago. He hasn't tried to contact me since then."  
  
"Serena, Serena, Serena... you poor fool. Don't hate me for saying this, but maybe you should give it another try. Face it; you're in love with the guy! And he loves you! Do you know how few people find what you have? Put your past behind you and give it a go!"  
  
Serena dropped her bag and sat back down, nearly speechless. "Mina, I think that's the most mature thing I've ever heard you say."  
  
"Yes, I know I'm a genius. Now go before you miss your plane."  
  
Serena smiled for the first time since the breakup. "Thanks, Mina."  
  
"You're welcome. And contact him when you get back! I wouldn't want my wisdom to go to waste!"  
  
"We'll see. I've gotta go." With that, she hung up and made her way to the terminal. Maybe she'd contact him when she got back. Maybe.  
  
****  
  
She arrived in London a day later, cold and tired after having to switch planes twice. Allan had insisted on paying for her hotel, despite her relentless protests. Not only did he pay for her hotel, but he reserved her a room in the most expensive hotel in London.  
  
Trudging wearily over to the front desk, she was barely able to appreciate her lavish surroundings in her sleep-deprived state. After receiving her room key, she headed toward the elevator when she suddenly stopped at the sight of a shock of familiar black hair.  
  
Entering the elevator was a man that she could have sworn was Darien. Shaking her head at her foolishness, she chalked the hallucination up to lack of sleep and headed toward the stairs. Even if it wasn't him, she couldn't be too careful. She couldn't face him yet.   
  
****  
  
Later that evening, she arrived at the church where the funeral was being held. As soon as she walked through the heavy oak doors of the old-fashioned cathedral, she spotted an auburn-haired man of about thirty greeting black-clad guests. Allan stood near the entrance as an elderly lady hung on him, sobbing, as he attempted to comfort her. Deciding to save him from the awkward situation, she headed over to him.  
  
"Allan?" she asked as she watched the woman soak his once clean shirt.  
  
He looked up from his current predicament and his round brown eyes showed immense relief. "Serena... it's good to see you... Mrs. O'Reilly, I'm sorry but I have to speak with a friend of mine." He handed the old woman off to her husband and walked over to her. "Guess I'll have to have this dry cleaned..." he deadpanned, looking at his stained shirt.  
  
Serena smiled, "That was very nice of you," she paused, unsure of what to say to him, "How are you, Allan?"  
  
He smiled weakly, "As good as possible, considering..." he trailed off and stuck his hands in the pockets of his black suit jacket.  
  
She patted his arm sympathetically. "I understand. I'm sorry that I can't be more of a help."  
  
He put an arm around her and smiled slightly. "Just being here helps." Pausing for a moment, he gazed at her searchingly. "My goodness, Serena Tsukino, how you've grown! The last time I saw you, you were eighteen years old."  
  
She grinned at the nostalgia. "Last time I saw you, you were still in college," she sighed, "It's scary how time flies..."  
  
He nodded. "You know what I find interesting?"  
  
Tilting her head to the side, she said, "Enlighten me."  
  
"Out of all the people I've met, and I've met quite a few people, you are the one person that has never changed."  
  
"Really?"  
  
He nodded, "It's a very rare quality. You're exactly the same."  
  
She raised an eyebrow at the statement, "And how am I?"  
  
"Perfect," he responded, "Absolutely perfect."  
  
Serena stood in shock at her old friend's comment. If he only knew... She was far from perfect and thought, once again, about the person that had proven it. "Darien?"  
  
Allan's brow furrowed, "Excuse me?"  
  
Her heart began to pound as she spotted her ex-boyfriend entering the sanctuary. Still looking as wonderful as ever, she simply wanted to die as she saw him approach Allan with someone on his arm. Did he have to look so damned attractive all the time? Much less with a date? She felt sick to her stomach and decided that she couldn't deal with him seeing someone else, "I'm sorry, Allan. I just saw someone that I used to know and..." she saw him coming closer to where they were standing, but she was almost positive that he hadn't seen her yet. "And... I really need to use the bathroom. Greet them for me?"  
  
He looked at her as though she'd grown an arm out of her head. "Are you okay?" She nodded, desperately trying to avoid being seen. He smiled knowingly. "If you're trying to avoid someone, we can go sit down."  
  
She stared up at him, surprised, "I'm that obvious?"  
  
"Aside from the fact that you're as pale as a ghost and you look like you're going to be sick, not at all."  
  
She'd lost him in the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief, "Good."  
  
Allan looked at her strangely and was about to speak when someone tapped him on the shoulder. Both turned around to find Darien with Beryl on his arm.  
  
'The nerve of that bastard!' she thought as she watched Darien immediately tense up when he noticed her and Beryl, whose nose was fixed, look unbelievably smug. She noticed that he looked tired... He was pale and had a hint of stubble on his cheek, yet he still managed to take her breath away. She shook her head at her thoughts; why should she worry about him when he had tall, artificial, and skanky to look after him? She laughed inwardly. Perhaps Beryl's face was back to normal, but her fashion sense was off as usual: she wore an obnoxiously tight red dress. Leave it to her to wear a bright color to a funeral.   
  
"Hello Allan." The low timbre of Darien's voice broke her out of her musings. He turned to her and nodded politely, "Serena."  
  
"Darien..." she whispered, completely mortified. And here she thought he was sitting at home, still pining away for her in the states. "What are you doing here?"  
  
He looked at her coldly and she felt her eyes begin to well up. She forced herself to push back the tears and looked into his steely blue gaze. She'd always loved his eyes, she thought sadly; when he looked at her, his eyes that were usually so harsh and cold softened and seemed to encompass her. Now there was no trace of softness, just empty orbs that held no emotion. "What do you think?"  
  
Allan turned to her, confused by the awkward situation. "Darien is the executor of Ann's will."  
  
"Oh," she responded, not knowing what else to say. Luckily, the uncomfortable silence was filled by the shrill tone of Beryl's voice.  
  
"Allan, I was just so upset when I heard about Ann. What a terrible tragedy!" she wailed, and Allan's eyes narrowed in doubt.  
  
"I wasn't aware that you were a friend of Ann's," Serena commented, suspicion apparent in her voice.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot that you were here," Beryl spat. "What was your name again? Sara? Sienna? Seneca? Some strange name like that?"  
  
"Serena," she deadpanned in annoyance.  
  
"Yes, yes, Serena. You were that unfortunate girl from high school, weren't you?"  
  
It was all that Serena could do not to punch the woman's lights out. "I wouldn't say unfortunate. Just..." she looked straight at Darien and spoke with venom in her voice, "naïve." Darien flinched almost imperceptibly.  
  
"Yes, well you and Ann were two peas in a pod I suppose. Both tragic."  
  
Everyone stood in shocked silence at Beryl's uncouth remark. Allan was the first to recover, "Remind me again why the hell you're here."  
  
Beryl seemed unaffected by the glares. "Ann was an employee at one of daddy's companies. We were all saddened at Vandergrift Inc. when we heard about her tragic passing. Daddy sent me as a personal representative of the company to offer our condolences. Plus," she smiled smugly and traced a long red fingernail down Darien's jacket, "Dare-bear gave me a ring the other day and asked me to accompany him." Serena could not have been any more humiliated than she was at that moment. He'd gotten over her with the woman he claimed meant nothing to him! "I heard about what you did to my poor Darien, Sienna."  
  
"It's Serena," she corrected as she dug her fingernails into her palms, trying to prevent herself from strangling Beryl. Allan's hands on her shoulders did nothing to alleviate the extreme need to wrap her hands around Beryl's neck and squeeze. Hard.  
  
"Whatever," Beryl said breezily, as if the name was irrelevant, "It was a very very mean and stupid thing to do. I mean, what kind of pathetic loser lets a man like this," she looked him up and down, evoking a blush out of him, "get away over some trivial childhood fight?" She circled Serena, much like Darien had done ten years earlier. "But then again, I should probably thank you. Your loss is my gain."  
  
She wanted to cry. She wanted to go home and hide in her room like she had as a teenager. But that was no longer an option. She didn't live at home anymore. She was an adult and she would deal with her problems on her own. The only thing she had left was her pride. Humiliation was no longer in her mind: revenge was the only word that reverberated through her head. She swallowed her tears and pasted an unbelievably fake smile on her face. "What kind of loser would let him go?" she asked with saccharine sweetness and innocence, "The only kind I can think of is the self-respecting kind. But of course, you wouldn't know anything about that." She could see the anger in Beryl's eyes and knew her barbs were working. "As for a loss?" She laughed, "I didn't lose a thing. And you know what else?" she leaned in close, as if she were telling them the most important secret in the world. She watched in amusement as both of their faces reddened: Beryl's in anger, Darien's in embarrassment. "I don't want him. You can have him." With that, she took Allan's hand and turned her back on them, walking away to greet visitors. Never again would she allow them to intimidate her. Never.  
  
Hours after the service, the group headed back to Allan's mansion for the execution of the will. Serena stood in Allan's study, waiting for the other guests to arrive, while he went to speak with his parents. She strolled over to one of the tall bookcases, examining his enormous collection of literature. Hearing the heavy door creak open behind her, she didn't turn around, but said, "I take it someone has quite the fascination with books."  
  
"I manage a book here and there, when I'm not busy, which is rarely. But you know that." The deliciously rough, low voice was most certainly not Allan's. She turned around in shock to find Darien leaning against the dark mahogany desk in the corner. "I take it you weren't expecting me."  
  
"No shit, Sherlock," she muttered. She headed toward the door, "I need to go find Allan."  
  
She stopped when she felt his hand on her arm. Against her will, her heart began to beat faster as that little spark of attraction that was always there became apparent. She turned to face him, annoyed. "What do you want?"  
  
He gazed at her searchingly. "Why all the hostility?"  
  
She looked at him incredulously. "Why the hell do you think? You brought Beryl, Queen of All Things Slutty, to my friend's funeral! I'm seriously beginning to doubt your intelligence."  
  
He glared at her, "What do you care if I bring her? You were the one who dumped me, if I remember correctly."  
  
"You really think that it was easy for me to walk away, don't you?" she asked quietly.  
  
"Of course it was," he spat heatedly, "You were using me from day one."  
  
She blanched. "Using you?"  
  
"I know all about your plan, Serena. The only reason you dated me was to get revenge. You know, wait until I fall in love with you and cut me loose. I didn't realize it until after the fact, but it's obvious. No need to lie to me anymore."  
  
She sighed and decided to fess up. "Fine. I admit it. I was dating you to get revenge at the beginning. But what did you expect? You ruined my life."  
  
"Then it will please you to know that you've ruined mine as well. We're even."  
  
"I'm... I'm normally not such a malicious person, Darien. I didn't mean to ruin your life. I just wanted you to feel all the hurt that I felt, but at the end... I guess I didn't hate you as much as I thought," she said quietly.  
  
He smirked, "Don't tell me that you actually felt something for me."  
  
"You know what? I don't know why I even bother with you. I'm going to go find Allan-"  
  
"So you can go cry to him and his bag of money? You're using him too. It's obvious that he has feelings for you and you don't give a shit," he interjected.  
  
"You're an asshole, you know that?" she shot back, furious.  
  
"And you're a selfish bitch," he retorted with a razor sharp glint in his eye, "But for some reason, I still want you."  
  
"Well that's just too damn bad because-"  
  
"Are we ready?" Allan asked, entering the room and cutting Serena off. A small group of people followed him in.  
  
Serena took a seat at the long conference table, visibly shaken, and replied, "Of course."  
  
It was nine o'clock at night when the last of the guests finally left Allan's mansion. She and Allan hadn't eaten anything since before the service, so he suggested that they get a quite bite to eat. She reluctantly accepted, Darien's words repeating themselves over and over in her head.  
  
'You're using him... even though he has feelings for you... you're using him...' He wouldn't leave her alone. Even in another country, they just had to find each other. She was beginning to think that fate was playing the biggest practical joke of all time on her. She hadn't expected to see him so soon after the breakup. She hadn't expected to see him so... bitter.  
  
"Serena? Serena, we're here," Allan's gentle voice cut through her thoughts and she stepped out of the black Lamborghini into the cool night air. He took her hand as they walked down the street to the restaurant.  
  
A man walking swiftly in the opposite direction suddenly slammed into Serena as they walked down the sidewalk. Serena looked up to find Darien in a trench coat looking rather disconcerted.  
  
"Darien..." she whispered, trying to collect herself. "Um... are you okay?"  
  
His eyes were glassy and unfocused as he looked from her to Allan and back again. He looked at her, feeling betrayed, and whispered gruffly, "No," before walking in the opposite direction that he came from and into a well-lit pub at the end of the street.  
  
Allan held her by the shoulders and looked at her worriedly, "Are you okay? What the hell is wrong with that guy?"  
  
"I'm fine," she began walking and he followed. "If you're wondering, that," she said dryly, "was my ex-boyfriend. We had a less than amicable breakup."  
  
"I suspected as much," he smiled. "Well in my opinion, he's a fool."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"For not going after you. Only a fool would do that."  
  
She smiled and wondered if perhaps Darien was right in his assumptions. "Thanks Allan."  
  
****  
  
After dinner at a five-star restaurant that was supposed to have been a quick, simple dinner, Serena and Allan decided to walk off their meal. They lazily walked past the pub that Serena had seen Darien go into and Allan stopped.  
  
"I could use a drink. How 'bout you?" he asked.  
  
Since she was certain that Darien would be long gone, she accepted, "Sure."  
  
They entered the respectable-looking pub and took a seat at the bar. After ordering their drinks, they looked to the other end of the bar where an extremely drunk man was lamenting his troubles to the world.  
  
The ruddy-faced bartender approached them, shaking his head. "That man over there, I knew he was trouble when he came in. And he's already been in twice in one night!"  
  
Serena gazed at the poor man in the corner of the bar. He had a five o'clock shadow, was nearly delirious, and sat like a huddled mass of sorrow nursing a scotch. "Why did you serve him?" she asked, feeling sorry for the crestfallen man.  
  
"He came in here throwing quite a bit of money on the bar, asking for as much liquor as it could buy. So I gave it to him. He left after about thirty minutes and came back five minutes later. The poor boy seems to be heartbroken; kept yelling about a Serena over there in the corner."  
  
Serena's eyes widened and she took a closer look at the half-conscious man at the other end of the bar. Darien! She rushed over to him right before he fell off the barstool. Steadying him as best she could, she tried to get his attention, "Darien?"  
  
His glazed eyes fell upon her and it seemed as though he barely recognized her, "Serena?" he asked confusedly.  
  
"Yes, Darien, it's me. I'm taking you home."  
  
"Nonsense!" he said a bit too loudly, "I can -hic- drive myself. Just let me find my keys." He picked up a bowl of peanuts, "Here they are!" he said joyfully, flinging them in Allan's face, who had followed Serena to help steady him.  
  
"He's taking a cab home," Allan deadpanned, removing the remaining peanuts from his hair.  
  
Serena gazed at him pleadingly. "Allan, he doesn't know what he's doing. He can't get back to the hotel by himself."  
  
"Then you can take him back to the hotel," he said irritably, "because I am too damned tired to deal with a drunken idiot that has been nothing but rude to us the entire day."  
  
"He could hurt himself, Allan," she pleaded, and Darien chimed in with a "Yeah," even though he had no idea what they were talking about.  
  
Allan rolled his eyes, "Fine. I'll take you guys back to the hotel."  
  
Serena smiled and hugged him, "Thank you!"  
  
Darien glared at them. "Don't touch her...wait...don't touch him..." he turned to Allan, "I don't like you."  
  
Allan simply ignored the comment and helped get Darien to the Lamborghini parked down the street. Darien sat in the cushioned back seat, leaning heavily on Serena.  
  
Somehow, his head ended up in her lap and he looked up at her with happy, glazed eyes, "Hi."  
  
She groaned, "Hello Darien." That must have been the seventh time he'd said that.  
  
He smiled contentedly, "You're very pretty."  
  
She smiled back slightly, "Thanks."  
  
Playing with a strand of golden hair, he gazed at her innocently, "Can we have sex?"  
  
The car swerved and Serena sat in shock. "No, we cannot have sex," she finally managed to respond.  
  
"Why?" the question was asked so innocently he almost seemed childlike.  
  
"Because I didn't sleep with you when you were sober and I'm certainly not going to sleep with you now that you're wasted."  
  
"I'm not wasted!" he exclaimed indignantly, "I only had one or two or ten -hic- drinks!" He began to laugh hysterically at his own private joke.  
  
Serena sighed. It was going to be a long night.  
  
****  
  
Allan dropped them off at the hotel after a painstakingly long ride back. He'd offered to help get Darien up to his room but she'd refused; she'd imposed on him enough in one night. She took him into the sitting area of the lobby and tried to find his room key. After checking every pocket in his coat, she deduced that he must have put it in his pants pocket.   
  
She asked him to empty his pockets, but she got no response from him except for a giggle. Deciding that there was no other way to get the room key, she began to check his pants for the key. He was smiling and she stopped for a moment. "What is it?" she asked in annoyance.  
  
He grinned foolishly, "You're feeling me up!"  
  
"I am not," she shot back, feeling too tired to argue, "Where's your room key, Darien?"  
  
Pulling it out of his wallet, he grinned, "What will you do for it?" he asked, holding it just out of her reach.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I have the key and you want it. What will you give me for it?"  
  
"I don't have time for games, Darien," she scolded, her patience wearing thin.  
  
"Games? I know a fun game that we can play! Ever heard of -hic- Seven Minutes of Heaven?"  
  
"Yes, I've heard of it and we're not playing it," she snapped, seizing the key from his limp hand and guiding him toward the elevator.  
  
"It'd be lots of fun..." he trailed off in a sing-song voice.  
  
"No," she said flatly as they entered the elevator.  
  
"I could make it lots of fun," he boasted.  
  
"I'm sure you could." They stood in silence for a few moments until Darien began to sing to the elevator music. Unfortunately, there were no words to the music. She put a hand on his arm to calm him down, "Darien, please no more singing."  
  
He smiled lazily and put his arms around her, "You want to play Seven Minutes of Heaven, don't you?"  
  
Unwrapping his arms around her and pulling him out of the elevator, she rolled her eyes, "No, I still don't."  
  
She opened the door to the luxurious suite down the hall and guided him inside as best she could. Guiding him to the bedroom, she left him there to go brew coffee. He grew quiet and she began to worry. "Darien, are you okay?" When she received no response, she ran to the bedroom to find him rummaging through the mini bar. She saw him pull out a little bottle of rum and she snatched it out of his hands, "No Darien!" she scolded, slamming the door shut.  
  
He glared at her, growing very angry all of a sudden. "Give it to me, Serena," he said darkly and began to advance toward her.  
  
She shook her head and moved away from him, frightened by his sudden change in demeanor. "Darien, you've had enough. Anymore and I'll have to take you to the hospital."  
  
"Give me the bottle," he growled, considerably louder this time.  
  
"You'll be comatose if you take one more drink! Is that what you want?" she yelled back, still moving away.  
  
"Yes! That's exactly what I want!" he barked.  
  
She froze, "What?"  
  
"Don't you get it?" his voice was one of a tortured soul, "I want to be numb. I don't want to feel anymore."  
  
"Why?" she reluctantly asked, afraid to hear his response.  
  
"Because it hurts too much," he whispered, falling back onto the bed.  
  
The silence was so piercing that it nearly ripped her apart until she heard a soft, broken sound. She looked over at him in astonishment. He was crying.  
  
"Darien..." she whispered consolingly, unsure of what to do. Hesitantly, she approached him.  
  
He stared up at the canopy of the bed, crystalline tears falling unchecked from his eyes. "You know what the funny thing about love is?" She shook her head and he continued. "You wait your whole life for it, and when you have it, you're the happiest person in the world. But when you lose something that you love, even though it felt wonderful, you... you wish you never loved in the first place."  
  
"Why?" she asked, breathless.  
  
"Because the memory of something so perfect kills you when you realize that you can't ever have it again. Because love itself becomes a memory."  
  
She was speechless. How could she have known that he carried that much pain?  
  
"The memory of what I had with you kills me, Serena. I've carried it with me for years."  
  
Her brow furrowed, "Years?"  
  
Smiling bitterly, he turned to her, his previously glazed eyes exhibiting lucidity for one clear moment. "I've been in love with you since I was eighteen years old. I never stopped."  
  
  
  
AN: Like it? Hate it with the fire of a thousand suns? Let me know. I can take it. That ending sounded kind of final, didn't it? (Or maybe it was begging for a one-chapter quick fix ending). Don't fear; that's not the case. I still have much more to put them through and lots to explain. Oh, and please review my story! Let me know what you think! 


	8. Chapter Eight: Hangovers and the Joys of...

Untitled As of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: She lives! You've all been so patient and supportive in my long hiatus; thank you so much! I haven't had much time to write lately because, well, life (and a freak storm that zapped my computer and deleted what I'd previously written) has gotten in the way. I'll be having hand surgery soon so hang tight and I'll update as soon as I can. I do need to address a certain review, though; in Chapter Six I had a slight oops in the timeline. Originally, I wanted Serena and Darien to be together for three months before the breakup, but after revising, I changed it to six months. Unfortunately, I missed a part or two when I was changing the numbers. Just to clarify, they were together for six months. Sorry about that! Once again, thanks for the reads and reviews and please keep them coming! Suggestions are always welcome, well, unless they're flames because my ego can't take it!   
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
"You what?" Serena asked in wide-eyed disbelief.  
  
Darien opened his mouth and quickly shut it again. Suddenly a look of extreme horror crossed his face and he bolted out of the room.  
  
Serena followed closely behind him, "Darien? What's wrong?" She stopped abruptly at the bathroom door that slammed in her face. Pounding on the door, she called worriedly, "Are you okay?" No response. "Talk to me, Darien," she pleaded when she heard a gagging sound and nearly gagged as well as he emptied the contents of his stomach.  
  
She opened the door to find a barely-conscious Darien leaning over the toilet.  
  
His bloodshot eyes gazed up at her from his prone position on the floor. "Serena? I threw up." He said it just as a sick child would and she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.  
  
Grimacing, she wet a washcloth and brought it over to him, gingerly cleaning his pallid face. "I can see that," she said quietly.  
  
He moaned, "I don't feeeeel gooooood..." He shut his eyes and fell back against a mahogany cabinet.  
  
"I know you don't feel well, Darien," she soothed, removing her pink and black suit jacket and matching heels. Raising herself up from her uncomfortable position on the floor, she looked at him worriedly. "Darien," she called, and he swung his head in her direction, "I have to run to the living room for a minute. Yell if you need me. I'll be right back."  
  
The vacant look in his eyes indicated that he barely understood what she'd said. He grunted in response.  
  
Shaking her head at her ridiculous predicament, she quickly ran to the living room where she rapidly slipped out of her confining black skirt and placed it over the couch with her jacket and shoes. Padding softly back to him in her camisole and slip, she took a seat on the large white rug in the middle of the floor where he sat in an entranced sort of way.   
  
Coming out of his stupor, his glazed-over eyes rolled in her direction. "Guess what?" he asked, half-conscious.  
  
She decided to humor him. "What?"  
  
"I brought Beryl to make you jealous," he drawled.  
  
Her eyes widened. "You did." It was more of a statement than a question. She thought back to the funeral; while Beryl was all over him, he barely responded. Things were finally starting to make sense.   
  
He broke her out of her musings. "Well? Did it work?"  
  
"Did what work?" she asked.  
  
Rolling his eyes in annoyance, he muttered unintelligibly before answering. "Jealousy. Did I make you jealous?"  
  
Taking pity on his drunken, prone form, she sighed. "Maybe. Maybe just a little. But it wasn't a nice thing to do, Darien." She chided herself when she realized that she was telling the truth; bringing Beryl did make her jealous.  
  
His eyes watered and her heart broke. He moaned, "I know... I do a lot of bad things... maybe that's why people leave me..." he rambled on incoherently for a while before looking up at her again. "But you won't leave me, right? Please don't."  
  
She couldn't help but think that he meant it in more ways than one. Letting him rest his head on her chest, she sat on the cold floor leaning against the glass shower, pushing dark strands of hair from his eyes. "Don't worry, Darien," she whispered, "I won't leave you."  
  
Serena awoke to the steady pounding of rain in a dark, strange bedroom. The soft, comfortable bed wasn't the cold tile she'd fallen asleep on. Focusing her eyes as best she could, she looked around to find Darien's arm draped over her stomach. She tried to sit up but found it impossible so she attempted to remove his hand from her midsection. Suddenly, he murmured slightly and pulled her closer. Much closer. So close, in fact, that he ended up laying half on top of her. Despite the turmoil going on in her crushed internal organs, he continued to sleep peacefully.   
  
For a brief moment, she scrutinized the quietly sleeping man. His hair was sticking out in all directions and an innocent, boyish expression was playing on his face. All in all, he looked quite adorable. From her view, it also looked like he was quite naked. A million thoughts ran through her head as she tried to collect herself. Did they... No, she decided, they hadn't slept together. He was far too sick for that. Suddenly he began to stir and she immediately shut her eyes.  
  
Darien slowly sat up in bed, clutching his head. Surveying his surroundings, he found Serena sleeping soundly to his left. Carefully extricating himself from her, he got out of bed as quietly as possible so as not to wake her. Staring at her lovingly for a moment, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead and whispered, "I love you," ever so softly into her ear before walking out of the room.   
  
As soon as she decided that he was a safe distance away, her eyes popped open in shock. She covered her mouth to suppress the squeal that rose up in her throat. So he was telling the truth the night before! It wasn't just an idiotic, drunken proclamation of love! She halted her exuberance when she realized that she was supposed to be through with him.   
  
Frowning, she sat up and rubbed her sore neck. How was she supposed to act around him now? She slowly got up and contemplated her situation. The night before she'd seen a new side of Darien. She'd never seen him so angry or so... vulnerable. She couldn't help but think that there was more to him than she'd originally assumed. Deciding that her thoughts were far too deep to think about that early in the morning, she busied herself with finding the remainder of her clothes. Her mind was too thick with sleep to remember where she put the business suit that she'd worn the evening before. Blushing at her lack of clothing, she wandered out of the bedroom in search of her outfit.  
  
A slightly sleepy voice snapped her out of her hunt. "Coffee?"  
  
She looked up to find a steaming cup of coffee in her face. Looking beyond the cup, she found a shirtless Darien smiling slightly, looking weary as ever. Blushing, she nodded in response. "Yes, please." She took the cup from his hand, nearly dropping it when his hand brushed hers. Looking around confusedly, she searched for a clock but found none. "What time is it?"  
  
"Two," he replied easily, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring himself a cup as well.  
  
"In the afternoon?" she nearly shrieked.  
  
When he flinched from the loud noise, she felt terrible and quieted. "Yes, in the afternoon," he said exasperatedly, "After last night, we needed the sleep."  
  
She nodded silently and mindlessly stirred her coffee.  
  
He nodded and looked at her amusedly. "You're cute when you're unaware."  
  
Her eyes widened and she blushed. "Um... thanks..." she stammered in an embarrassed tone. He watched her for a moment and she became nervous under his penetrating gaze. "What?"  
  
He tilted his head to the side, sleepiness slowly leaving his perfect features. "Why do you always do that?"  
  
"Do what?" she asked confusedly.  
  
"Whenever I give you a compliment," he began, "you look at me like I either grew an arm out of my head or like I'm a complete liar."  
  
She glared defensively, "Well what do you expect? Thanks to you, I have zero self-confidence!"  
  
"I said I was sorry!" he barked, then quieted. He sighed, frustrated. "I just don't understand you."  
  
Putting down the cup of coffee, she angrily began to search for her skirt and jacket. "I don't recall ever asking you to understand me. And I suggest that you don't even try." She found her skirt and slipped it on. "I'm not some mystery for you to solve."  
  
His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms, "I was attempting to be conciliatory."  
  
She rolled her eyes, "Oh, I think you were conciliatory enough last night."  
  
To her surprise, his face fell and he looked away in shame. "Sorry about last night," he said softly, "I've been known to be a pain in the ass when I'm drunk."  
  
Her brow furrowed, "Does that mean it's a regular occurrence?"  
  
His cerulean eyes held the same naked, scared quality of the night before. "No... of course not... I'm just aware of the fact that when I do get drunk, I can be a handful."  
  
She looked at him, bewildered. "Do you even remember what happened last night?" she asked.  
  
He smirked and looked away. "Parts of it."  
  
Picking up her jacket from the arm of the couch, she stared at him curiously. "Which parts?"  
  
He sighed, "I remember getting wasted at a bar after seeing you with _him_, and then I remember you taking care of me when I got sick. I woke up in your lap a couple of hours ago and moved us to the bed."  
  
"So you conveniently forgot our little conversation," she deadpanned in annoyance.  
  
Smacking his forehead, he looked at her apologetically. "I probably said a lot of stupid shit last night. I'm sorry."   
  
She shook her head and slipped on her jacket, "Don't worry about it. You've been known to say a lot of stupid shit when you're sober."  
  
He grinned good-naturedly, "The insults just don't stop with you, do they?" When she didn't respond, he grew serious. "What the hell did I say to you to make you this upset?"  
  
Serena finally looked up at his concerned face. How was she supposed to tell him? She sighed. "I'm not upset. Just... surprised."  
  
His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why?"  
  
She stared at him awkwardly before speaking. "You told me... well... um... I guess you kind of told me that you've been in love with me since you were eighteen," she blurted.  
  
She watched raptly as he paled and a stricken look crossed his face. At that moment, he resembled a frightened rabbit and it seemed as though he was going to bolt at any moment. The room was silent with the exception of the steady rainfall beating against the windows. He stood there, rooted to the spot in embarrassment and fear. "I told you that?" he whispered.  
  
"Well, yeah," she replied, feeling bad for him, "but let's not forget that you were completely plastered at the time."  
  
He shook his head and gazed at her sadly. "It was true," he said in a defeated tone, "So I guess you can leave, since you're probably totally disgusted by now."  
  
She approached him quietly and carefully. "No, Darien. I'd never feel that way. I won't leave unless you want me to."  
  
Darien gave a melancholy smile, "Why bother staying? It's not like you feel the same way."  
  
Her brow furrowed and she felt extremely miffed at his remark. "Don't assume that I don't care about you, Darien Shields!"  
  
Thunder tore through the air in the background and she jumped. He stood still, seemingly unaffected. "Caring is just fine," he retorted coldly, "but do you love me? No, of course you don't. You're incapable of loving someone like me."  
  
Her eyes flew to his face and narrowed, "Since when are you the authority on love? What makes you think that I don't love you?"  
  
He laughed bitterly. "Let's see... you broke up with me when I told you that I loved you..." he drawled sarcastically.  
  
"Okay," she cut him off, "Bad example. But I do care about you. In fact," she paused, "It think I even... I mean... I..." she stuttered. Her stomach rolled in nervousness. She just couldn't get those three little words out.  
  
At her words, the bitter expression on his face melted away into one of hope. He moved closer to her and gave a tiny, encouraging smile. "You what?" he asked softly, bringing a hand up to her cheek.  
  
The nauseating exposed feeling that had previously plagued her instantly disappeared as she looked into his eyes. She realized that he was everything she'd ever wanted and she'd sabotaged her own happiness for too long. Pride, she realized, had gotten her through tough times, but was she happy? No. Her face burned a brilliant shade of red, yet she spoke with confidence. "I love you, Darien," she confessed, a nervous smile playing on her lips.  
  
A fraction of a second passed before he reached out and pulled her shaking body to his. "Say it again," he pleaded in an unsteady voice, holding onto her as though she might disappear.  
  
"I love you," she repeated joyfully, entranced by the blissful look in Darien's eyes.  
  
He pressed his lips to hers again and again, beaming all the while. "I love you too," he whispered between kisses. He nuzzled her collarbone, delighting in what he had missed. "God, I love you, Serena," he whispered once again before crushing his mouth to hers.   
  
Several moments later they broke apart, taking in large breaths of air. Serena rested her forehead on his. "I missed you," she whispered affectionately, placing a tiny kiss on the tip of his nose. He scrunched his nose and she laughed in amusement. "You are the only person I know who has a ticklish nose."  
  
He smirked, "My nose isn't the only thing that's ticklish... but that's another story for another time."  
  
She raised an eyebrow, "Really? Where?"  
  
"Somewhere in the realm of Darien Jr.," he responded, flashing a brilliant smile.  
  
Grinning devilishly, she unwound her hands from behind his neck and slid them down his bare chest. "Darien Jr. and I really haven't gotten acquainted yet," she teased.  
  
Catching both of her hands in his larger ones, Darien held them and looked at her lovingly. "Unfortunately, you won't get to meet him quite yet. I want to do this right. I plan to sweep you off your feet before you meet the big guy. So, as much as I want to, and believe me, I really really want to," he gazed at her appreciatively, "I'm going to wait."  
  
A slow smile spread across her face. "I can respect that," she said amusedly. "I appreciate it, too. In all of my relationships, I don't think anyone has shown me as much respect as you just did."  
  
"Well then," he drawled, "it looks like I have several men to beat up."  
  
"Several?" she asked in astonishment, "Hardly."  
  
He smiled contentedly and draped an arm over her shoulder. "Good. You know what? I have a great idea- how about we never mention past relationships ever again?"  
  
She gazed at him thoughtfully. "That sounds like a brilliant idea. Deal," she shook his hand in agreement and began to giggle at his mock-serious expression.  
  
"Excellent," he replied lightly, satisfaction apparent in his voice. He led her over to the couch where they sat comfortably. When he reached for the phone and she looked at him questioningly, he returned the look with a mischievous one. "Might I suggest room service and pay-per-view? The weather is crappy and I don't feel like going out. Consider this wooing 101."  
  
She rested her head on his shoulder and looked up from the television with a satisfied smile on her face, "How romantic."  
  
The departure time for Serena's flight came far too early the next day. They'd fallen asleep on the couch after watching a marathon of sappy romantic comedies that lasted until about three a.m.. She had to arrive at the airport at five in order to catch her seven o'clock flight and Darien wasn't helping. After sleepily shaking him awake, she'd tried to collect herself enough in order to go back to her own room but he wouldn't have it. He simply told her to "skip it" and then kept her...occupied for the next ten minutes.  
  
Groaning, she fished for her room key in her purse. "I don't want to go..." she whined.  
  
"Then don't," he said easily, taking her purse out of her hands.  
  
She sighed, "I don't have much of a choice. See, us normal people have to fly on these things called airlines. We don't have private jets that can leave whenever we feel like it."  
  
When she reached for the purse, he held it over her head and grinned. "Then you can just take the jet back with me," he suggested, as if it was the answer to all of her problems.  
  
"Um... let me think... no." she said pensively, a scowl forming on her face, "If you'll remember correctly, you took Beryl's daddy's private jet and I really don't think you want the plane to become the scene of a homicide."  
  
He raised an eyebrow, "Homicide?"  
  
"That many hours in an enclosed space with Beryl the Wonder Whore? She'd be lucky if she had any hair left on that peroxide-abused head by the time I'd be done with her," she said sarcastically, "Pardon me if the idea isn't too appealing."  
  
He gazed at her contemplatively for a moment before speaking. "You know what? You're right. That would be unbearable. In that case, I'll just have to fly back with you on one of the airlines," he supposed.  
  
"Really? The high and mighty Darien Shields flying coach? I never thought I'd see the day," she retorted, grinning.  
  
His nose was high in the air like a true aristocrat when he spoke, "I feel that it's important to see how the other half lives. You know, to keep me grounded." Her incessant giggling caused his smile to widen even further. "I'm curious, though; if Mr. Moneybags was paying for a room for you here, then why are you flying coach?"  
  
A pang of guilt hit her as she remembered Allan and how she had more or less abandoned him. "Well, he insisted on paying for the hotel, so I insisted on paying for the plane ticket. And since I don't make a six-figure salary, coach was my best option."  
  
He took note of the guilt in her eyes and shook his head. "Don't you start with the whole guilt trip. Allan is a big boy who can take care of himself. Besides, you're mine now and I won't have you off gallivanting with another man anyway. So, essentially, it's my fault and you have nothing to feel guilty about," he rationalized comically.  
  
"I love it when you rationalize," she said warmly, kissing him on the cheek before she collected her things. "Why don't you meet me at my room in twenty minutes and we can leave from there?" She quickly gave him the room number and headed for the door.  
  
He nodded in agreement and didn't let her leave before kissing her goodbye. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched her walk down the hallway to the elevator. "Don't go running off with a bellhop, now," he called teasingly, and grinned when he heard a muffled "Yeah, right" as the elevator doors closed.  
  
Serena nearly floated back to her room, giggling like a schoolgirl while passerbys looked at her strangely. She didn't care, though; she was in love. Grinning from ear to ear, she walked to her door only to find an angry-looking Allan waiting there. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head at the sight of the fuming man.  
  
"Allan," she greeted him awkwardly, opening the door and ushering him in, "What are you doing here?"  
  
His usually gentle brown eyes glared at her accusingly. "Where were you all day yesterday? I called you six times! And why are you still wearing that outfit?"  
  
She blushed. The situation really did look terrible. Before she even got a chance to answer, he started in again. "You were with _him_, weren't you?"  
  
"Well, yes," she admitted, "But that's really my business," she said defensively, gathering the remainder of her clothing strewn about the floor. Just because he'd paid for her room didn't mean that it gave him the right to dictate who she spent time with. At the feral look in his eyes, she backed up a bit. "Listen," she started in a placating tone, "I'm sorry that I wasn't here for you during this difficult time, but I had some personal matters that I needed to tend to as well."  
  
"The drunkard?" he spat venomously.  
  
"He's not a drunkard," she shot back in Darien's defense.  
  
"Who's not a drunkard?" a new voice entered the conversation. Darien stood in the still-open doorway.  
  
Allan glared at him, "You."  
  
Darien grinned and shrugged off the other man's glare, "Well that's good to know." He walked over to Serena, putting his hands on her shoulders, "You want me to help you pack? I've already called for my tickets and I'm all done packing."  
  
Before she could say anything, Allan cut in. "I can't believe you'd be so stupid."  
  
Both of them whipped around to face him. "Excuse me?" Serena asked, slightly taken aback.  
  
"This man... if you can even call him that... has put you through hell for the past ten years of your life. He's cheated on you, used you, and basically ruined you. How could you be so stupid to go back to him again?" Allan finished, disgusted.  
  
While Darien looked as though he was going to rip out Allan's throat at any given moment, Serena looked incredibly guilty. "You're right," she conceded, "he has put me through hell. But I've done some things that I'm not proud of as well. At this point, I'm just too tired to think about revenge and pride and... I just want to be happy..." she trailed off timidly. "He makes me happy..."  
  
"Fine," Allan snapped coldly, "But you'll regret it." With that, he stalked out of the room, slamming the door.  
  
"Well," Serena smiled lamely, looking up at her boyfriend whose face showed a mixture of anger, shock, and arrogance all at once. "I suppose that went well."  
  
When they arrived at the airport, it was pouring in sheets of rain as thunder boomed overhead. Serena scowled at the sky as she stepped out of the taxi with Darien under a large black umbrella. "Does it ever not rain here?"  
  
He smiled at her lovingly, "You've never really liked thunder, have you?"  
  
She smirked, taking a small luggage bag, "Not liking it is an understatement. I'm terrified by it."  
  
"Nothing to be afraid of, darling," he reassured her, "Don't you know that it's just angels bowling?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, she gazed at him in curiosity. "Angels bowling?"  
  
His eyes took on a faraway expression as he spoke. "When I was little, I was afraid of thunder because I thought it meant that God was mad. But someone told me that it was actually the opposite. They told me that it was a party in heaven, and the sound of thunder is merely the sound of angels bowling."  
  
She sighed happily and squeezed his arm affectionately. "That was so cute, Darien!" she cooed.  
  
"Not too stupid?"  
  
Shaking her head fiercely, she smiled reassuringly, "Of course not! Now every time it rains, I'll think of that and I'll smile!"  
  
He looked at her contemplatively, putting an arm around her as they walked into the airport. "You know, I've never told anyone that before."  
  
She snuggled deeper into his embrace. "Thank you, Darien."  
  
By the time they boarded the plane, the torrential downpour had lessened to little more than a sprinkle, yet it did nothing to calm Serena's anxiety. Clutching Darien's arm for dear life, they searched for their seats in the back of the plane. She stiffly turned to a long-haired woman in uniform, "Stewardess? Can you tell me where 26A and B are?"  
  
The person sharply turned around and glared. "Flight attendant, damn it! How many times must I tell people? We are not stewardesses! Flight attendant!"  
  
Serena and Darien jumped back, terrified. "Sorry," Darien muttered before turning to Serena, "We'll find the seats ourselves."  
  
They squeezed their way down the tiny aisle to their seats in the very back of the plane. Darien looked at the location and grimaced, "You want the window seat?"  
  
She smiled apprehensively, "Thanks."  
  
Just as they got settled, a little boy with slicked back blonde hair in a tuxedo climbed into the seat next to Darien. His mother, a portly woman wearing a camera around her neck, soon followed the overdressed child. She took a seat in the middle row, the aisle separating her from her son. As soon as the engine started, the child began to fidget and whine.  
  
His mother looked at him worriedly, "What's wrong, Shane?"  
  
"I WANTED THE WINDOW SEAT!" the child screamed obnoxiously.  
  
Both Serena and Darien winced. Serena looked at the child with slight pity. "Do you want to switch places?" she asked, trying to appease the child.  
  
His face contorted into a grimace. "No!" he wailed, "It has icky 'you' germs now!"  
  
Serena's face held an expression of shock as the mother laughed. "Oh, don't worry about Shane, now," his mother drawled in a thick southern accent. "He just got back from the International Petite Gentleman's Pageant and he's used to the star treatment."  
  
Shane looked at Serena and Darien haughtily. "I only deserve the best."  
  
Darien leaned over to Serena and whispered, "What the child deserves is a time out."  
  
Shane glared at Darien, got out of his seat, and kicked him squarely in the shin. When Darien screamed in pain, the devil child laughed hysterically. "I heard that, you poophead!"  
  
Shane's mother giggled once again, "Calm down, baby," she turned to the horrified couple, "Shane got first place in the pageant and the Mr. Congeniality award."  
  
While Serena and Darien looked on with mute interest, Shane stood on his seat proudly, "Everyone loves me."  
  
Just as they were about to respond, the disgruntled "flight attendant" came over to their row. "Honey," she addressed the abhorrent little child sweetly, "The plane's about to take off and we want you to be safe, so if you'll please sit down in your seat and buckle up, we'll feel much better." When Shane complied, the seemingly docile flight attendant turned evil once again as she turned to Serena and Darien. "I see _you_ found _your_ seats," she said contemptuously, gazing at them venomously.  
  
"Yes, thank you," Serena squeaked, more terrified than before.  
  
The flight attendant stalked away as the intercom came on. "We hope you enjoy your flight with us," the cheery voice said, "The duration of the flight will be approximately seven hours and fifty minutes..." Darien looked at Serena, petrified. It was going to be a long flight.  
  
Four extremely long hours later, Shane and Donna May, as they'd learned to call his mother, were still chatting away about his latest awards and accolades. Darien rubbed his temples while Serena resorted to banging her head against the small window in an attempt to knock herself out. She heard him chant, "Six more hours... six more hours..." and wanted to cry.  
  
Suddenly Donna May stopped her chattering and held out her hands in surprise. "Baby, hold it right there! That is just the most adorable pose I have ever seen! I'm so glad I brought my camera and seven rolls of film!" With that, she began to snap photo after photo of Shane in the same position. "Hold on, baby," she said after a while, "I have to change the rolls of film."  
  
Shane looked up at Darien who was now trying to block out the sound by turning up his headphones to the highest volume, but to no avail. "I'm adorable," he said obnoxiously, swinging his legs back and forth in his seat.  
  
As Donna May rummaged through her ridiculously large carry-on bag, a cell phone fell out. She picked it up and squealed in delight, "Shane! We haven't called grandma yet! I don't care what time it is in the United States! She must know about our win!" Without further ado, she dialed up grandma and began talking excitedly about her son once again. After about fifteen minutes of incessant bragging, she nudged the pompous brat. "Baby, why don't you sing the song that won you the pageant? Grandma would love to hear it!"  
  
Serena groaned quietly and leaned over to Darien, whispering agitatedly, "But we wouldn't!"  
  
Shane unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed the phone out of his mother's hands. "Grandma? I just did a wonderful job on my song! I got a ten point zero! Do you want to hear it? Of course you do!" he cleared his throat and Serena and Darien prayed for mercy. "And now, I'd like to do a little number I like to call 'Tomorrow.'"   
  
His voice sounded suspiciously like a used car salesman and Serena groaned, "Good God, what have I done to deserve this?" She could have sworn she saw tears in Darien's eyes.  
  
"The sun will come out..." he paused for effect, "tomorrow... bet your bottom dollar that..." he paused again, "tomorrow... there'll be sun..." Once again, he stood up on his chair so that everyone could see (and hear) him. After another horrible verse, he began to do hand (and face) motions. "When I'm stuck in a day that's gray, and lonely," he gave a sad face for these lyrics, "I just stick out my chin, and grin, and say, oh! TOMORROW!" pause, "TOMORROW!" another pause, "I love ya, tomorrow! You're only a day," pause, "a-" pause, "WAY!" he finished in an off-key note. When he finished, the entire crowd in coach stared at him, irritated.  
  
It was deadly quiet with the exception of his mother's clapping. "That was beautiful, honey," she said, wiping away a tear. "Do that one that won you the Little Prince title."  
  
Shane grinned, "I like to call this number 'Don't Rain on My Parade.'"  
  
Darien really did start crying this time. "Make it stop," he moaned as Serena held him.  
  
"Don't tell me not to fly--I've simply got to. If someone takes a spill, it's me and not you. Who told you you're allowed to rain on my PARAAAAAAAADE!"  
  
"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP YOU UNTALENTED LITTLE TROLL!" Darien screamed, reaching his limit. Everyone in coach stared at him in shock, and for some people, in thanks. He grabbed the phone from the stunned little boy's hand, "Hello, Grandma?" he greeted in rage, "I'd like to congratulate you for contributing genes to the most hideously annoying child that ever lived! Goodbye!" he handed the phone back to the child who still stood frozen.  
  
Suddenly, the boy began to wail hysterically. At the dissonant sound, everyone groaned. The disgruntled flight attendant marched over to the boy. "What has that mean man done to you?" she asked sweetly, handing him a lollipop. She turned to Darien, putting her hands on her hips and giving him the look of death. "If you don't want to be arrested when you get off this plane, I suggest you be nice to this darling little boy."  
  
Darien's eyes were wide with fear. "Yes, ma'am," he replied meekly, relieved when she stalked away. He looked over at Serena, "This is why I don't fly coach."  
  
An hour later, lunch was being served on the flight from hell. The angry flight attendant practically threw the plastic containers on Serena and Darien's trays.  
  
Serena lifted the lid off of the container and stared at the grayish, unidentifiable meat that sat on her plate. She grimaced and tried to get the attention of the flight attendant, "Excuse me, miss, but I ordered chicken..."  
  
The woman didn't even turn around to look at her, "That is chicken," she said contemptuously, walking away.  
  
Meanwhile, Darien was poking at his meatloaf with his fork. "It's like cement," he commented, grimacing.  
  
Shane also was not happy with his meal of chicken nuggets that looked arguably better than the meatloaf or grilled chicken. Smacking Darien on the arm to get his attention, he scrunched up his face in disgust when Darien turned to face him.  
  
"What now?"  
  
"I don't like mine!" he wailed. "I want yours!"  
  
When people were beginning to stare, Darien groaned, "Fine." He took the container and practically threw it on the boy's tray. Looking down at his new meal, he blushed: animal-shaped chicken nuggets and chocolate pudding with star-shaped sprinkles.  
  
He looked over at Serena who was giggling quietly at his meal when he felt something wet and mushy hit his arm. He looked over to find mashed potatoes dripping down the arm of his Armani suit jacket with the little culprit looking positively devilish. Serena gasped and he looked at her, "Please restrain me from killing him."  
  
She gave him a kiss on the cheek and helped him remove the stained jacket. "Poor baby," she said in sympathy as he put the jacket under the tray in barely controlled anger. "Don't worry; just a few more hours and we'll be home."  
  
He smiled and kissed her softly on the lips but froze when he heard an obnoxious "Ewww!" in the background. At this point he also noticed that his jacket was missing from his lap. He turned around to find Shane rummaging through the pockets of his jacket.   
  
When he pulled out a small black box, Darien's eyes widened in horror. "Give that to me!" Darien hissed, unable to reach the box as Shane slipped out of the seat and ran to his mother's lap.  
  
With complete disregard for other people's property, Shane opened the tiny box. Serena watched in curiosity and Darien in dread as the little boy's jaw dropped. "Wow!" he squealed in excitement, taking a shiny object from the box, "It's so pretty!" The devil child walked over to Darien, "Can I keep it?"  
  
Serena was confused at the horrified expression on Darien's face. Looking for the source of his reaction, she looked over to see what the child was holding. In a chubby hand lay a glittering diamond ring.  
  
Snatching the ring from the child's hand, Darien shook his head furiously. "No, you may not!" He immediately looked at Serena, who had obviously seen what the child held.  
  
Confusion whirled around her mind. "Was that..." she stopped, unable to finish. Was it meant for her? What if it wasn't? She groaned inwardly at the awkward situation.  
  
He nodded in defeat. "Yes... it was. I'm sorry... I didn't want to do this here..." he muttered, almost to himself. She merely looked at him in confusion. "You deserve candles and roses and a fancy dinner on the beach... not this," he said regretfully.  
  
Her brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"  
  
"I... I mean that I didn't want to do this in a place full of people we don't know, with me covered in mashed potatoes in the back of a crappy plane." He took her hands, "I love you, you know that, right?"  
  
She nodded fiercely, smiling, "I love you, too."  
  
He smiled weakly and continued, "I know that I've done a lot of stupid things in the past. I've hurt you so many times, and you've still forgiven me. I know that I don't deserve you-"   
  
She cut him off, "Don't say that!"  
  
He shrugged, "It's true. I don't deserve you but God knows I have to have you. When I lost you, I felt like a part of me was gone... and I never want to feel that again."  
  
Her eyes began to tear at his words and his face pinkened even more, "I'm sorry, this must sound so corny... I wanted to have this all planned..."  
  
She shook her head and smiled through her tears, "No... it's perfect..."  
  
He took a breath. "I love you, Serena. More than I've ever loved anyone or anything. I would get down on my knee if I could, but..." he held out the ring that glittered with promise and love, "Marry me?"  
  
Not wasting a second, she launched herself into his arms, disregarding everything else around her. "Yes," she cried, tears of joy falling unheeded from her crystal blue eyes, "Yes, of course I'll marry you!"  
  
END CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
AN: Aren't you glad that I didn't leave you hanging? I was so tempted to leave it as a cliffhanger but since everyone was so patient with my last (and ridiculously long) update, I decided that you deserved that one extra paragraph. But come on people, did you really think she'd say no? I certainly wouldn't. Oh yes, I don't own both of the songs that Shane sung- I actually had to do research for this one by looking up the lyrics. I hope I didn't offend anyone with my stage mom- I just know someone like that and it's a fairly accurate representation. Well, I do believe that's it until next time darlings! Please keep reviewing and I'll try to update sooner this time! 


	9. Chapter Nine: A Tangled Web

Untitled As of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: I'm back! It seems that after the last chapter, some people thought the story was over. No, my friends... I still have more to put my poor characters through. I could have left it there, but there are so many things that have gone unexplained and will hopefully tie in nicely in the last two to three chapters. grabs tissues Only a few chapters left! How sad! Well, in the mean time, I'd like to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. Lots of people have given me great suggestions for the title for my story. Unfortunately, I have my story posted on a couple of sites and if I change it for one site, I have to change it for them all so I don't create confusion. The problem is that I'm unable to change the title on some sites, so it looks like it's going to have to stay untitled. :( By the way, if you have time, please leave a review. They make me smile... unless they're mean... and then I cry... Anywho, enjoy Chapter Nine and I'll see you at the end.  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply.  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
A light breeze fluttered through the thin red and white-checkered tablecloth on the patio where Serena sat with her friends. She'd chosen the quaint little Italian restaurant because she'd assumed that it was the perfect place to break the news to her friends. Not only was the place obscure, but no one would recognize them as well. She was sure that her friends would make a scene when they found out that she'd waited a week to tell them, so she had to take preventative measures. Who could blame her if she wanted a week of peace with her brand-new fiancé before her crazy friends and obtrusive family threw china patterns and gift registries at her nonstop?  
  
She sighed dreamily at the thought of her fiancé. Fiancé. The word sounded so good... and she hadn't even told anyone yet. After the plane ride from hell, they'd decided to let things calm down before telling everyone about their engagement. Poor Darien was ready for intense psychotherapy after the experience and she wasn't sure if she needed it as well. She giggled into her menu as she thought of the look of pure relief on his face when they changed planes and finally said goodbye to the spawn of Satan.  
  
The waiter coughed and brought her out of her reverie. She blushed when she realized that he'd been waiting for her to order and looked over the menu briefly. "Um, sorry... I think I'll have... the fettuccine alfredo," smiling gently at the elderly waiter, she handed him her menu.  
  
As soon as the man walked away, Mina squealed, pointing frantically at the ring on her finger. "Oh my God, Serena! Darien proposed?" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Serena's hand, jerking her across the table, "It's huge! You lucky, lucky girl! He has good taste! Where did this happen? Wait, when did you guys get back together? When's the wedding? Can I be maid of honor?"  
  
Raye smacked Mina. "I'm going to be the maid of honor, you moron. You'll be too wasted to even walk down the aisle after her bachelorette party," she deadpanned.  
  
"Well you'll be too fat, Mommy Dearest!" Mina shot back, pointing to Raye's rather pregnant belly. She turned to Serena expectantly. "You are having a bachelorette party, right?"  
  
Amy sighed tiredly, "You do realize that Serena hasn't even explained the ring yet, don't you?"  
  
Serena sat silently, amused by her crazy friends. Suddenly Lita smacked her on the arm. "Well, speak up! We're waiting!"  
  
Sighing, Serena smoothed down the wrinkles in her light sundress. "I don't even know where to begin... Well, we got back together in London. He was at the funeral, but that's a whole different story. He saw me and Allan together, got pissed, and ended up getting absolutely plastered at a bar that we went to. I took him back to the hotel and he told me he's been in love with me since he was eighteen. I told him I loved him too. The end." She sighed happily, resting her chin on her hand.  
  
"So did you sleep with him?" Lita asked bluntly, her dark eyes showing absolutely no shame at the uncouth question.  
  
Serena rolled her eyes and adjusted the napkin on her lap. "Not that it's any of your business," she drawled, "but no, I did not. He's intent on marrying me before we do the dirty."  
  
"Sucks to be you," Lita replied easily, taking a sip of her wine.  
  
"Anyway," Serena glared at her reproachfully, "he didn't actually mean to propose when he did. He told me after a whole lot of coaxing on my part that he bought the ring right before we broke up and was planning to propose the night I dumped him."  
  
This time Mina glared at her reproachfully, "Shame on you for dumping such a sweet man!"  
  
"This comes from the person who encouraged me to get revenge on the man that made my life hell." When Mina shrugged, she shook her head and continued, "As I was saying, for some reason he brought the ring with him to London, I suppose it was just in case we'd reconcile. He proposed on the plane back- another long story- and of course I said yes. We're getting married in two months... Darien likes the weather in November."  
  
All of the girls at the table sat silent for the moment before Raye began crying hysterically. "That... was so... beautiful!" she sobbed. When everyone looked at her in shock, she dried her eyes, glaring at them all the while. "It's the hormones!"  
  
"You're getting married!" Mina squealed in a voice that was horrifyingly close to a pig's. "Do you know what this means?" Everyone looked at her, stupefied. "We're going shopping!"  
  
Three weeks later, Serena stood outside of a bridal shop tapping her foot in frustration. Her fiancé was supposed to have met her fifteen minutes ago. Deciding to waste some time, she pulled out her cell phone and called Raye.  
  
"Hello?" Raye's normally agitated voice seemed strangely elated.  
  
"Raye? Is that you?" Serena asked, bewildered.  
  
"Who the hell would it be?" Yup, it was Raye.  
  
"I'm bored," Serena whined.  
  
"So you called me. I'm flattered," Raye said dryly. "Hey, weren't you supposed to try on wedding gowns today?"  
  
Serena sighed, "Yeah. Darien is fifteen minutes late." Normally she would have been fine with his tardiness but it was slowly becoming a habit. He left dinners with friends, meetings with the wedding planner, even dates with her, claiming to have "emergencies at work." She was sure that Beryl was behind it and it made her sick. How many times had she asked him to apply for a job elsewhere? She shook her head as she glanced down at her watch once again. Sixteen minutes and counting...  
  
"Do you think that everything is okay? It's not like him to be late..." Raye trailed off quietly. She and Chad had become friends with Darien over the past month following their engagement. They'd warmed up to him after a while... well, a long while for her... and they'd been double dating with Darien and Serena ever since. However, she had noticed that he'd been different lately...  
  
"Raye, I have to go, I think I see Darien," Serena exclaimed, "Bye!"  
  
Raye rolled her eyes as her friend hung up on her. Sighing, she remembered when she was in the "honeymoon stage" of her and Chad's relationship. Looking down at her rounded belly, she smiled. "Those were the days, little one. Those were the days..."   
  
Meanwhile, Serena sighed in frustration after she realized that the man she thought was Darien turned out to be an elderly lady. Just as she was ready to call him on her cell phone and cancel, she looked up to find a harried Darien crossing the street. "Darien!" she called, gazing at him worriedly, "Where have you been?"  
  
He looked up distractedly from the pavement, "Am I late?"  
  
She frowned; he was officially more flighty than she was! "Only about fifteen minutes," she drawled sardonically, kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"Oh, sorry," he said in a non-committal tone, following her into the store.  
  
Taking his hand, she turned around to face him. "Are you all right?"  
  
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Yeah... I just had a tough day at work."  
  
Smiling sympathetically, she walked with him to the front desk, "I'm sorry. You don't have to think about work anymore, ok?" She turned to the saleswoman at the desk. "Hi, I called about trying on some gowns earlier."  
  
The woman shook her hand, "Miss Tsukino?" Serena nodded. "Nice to finally meet you." She looked over at Darien. "You must be the fiancé!" Turning to Serena, she whispered conspiratorially, "You lucky, lucky girl! You got a good one!"  
  
Serena grinned, squeezing Darien's hand and gazing up at him. "I know."  
  
Six dresses later, Serena sat in the fitting room, moping. She hadn't liked a single dress! Furthermore, the only response from Darien was an occasional "It's nice" in between checking his pager and cell phone.   
  
The dissonant sound of a ringing cell phone snapped her out of her pity party. Waddling out of the fitting room in an exceptionally poofy white gown, she found her fiancé talking in a hushed, angry tone on his cell phone. Plopping down in a chair, she waited for him to end his conversation with what seemed to be a business client.  
  
"I can't right now... No I'm busy... Fine...fine... I'll be there in ten minutes. Yes... yes... no problem..." Darien nodded, "Goodbye." Serena glared at him as he guiltily turned off his phone. He walked over to her and kneeled in front of her.  
  
Her eyes narrowed, "You're on my train."   
  
He looked down and removed the tulle from under him, blushing. "Baby," he spoke softly, coaxingly, "I have an-"  
  
"Emergency at work," she finished for him, scowling.  
  
His soft cobalt eyes showed immense guilt as he nodded. "But tell you what... you pick out your favorite dress, on me of course," he handed her his platinum credit card, "and when I'm done I'll come over and we can order dinner?"  
  
She sighed in defeat. "I guess that's okay," she pouted. "But I'm not using your money for the dress," she stated firmly, handing him back the credit card.  
  
He looked at her, bewildered, "My money is there for you to spend it. Why do you think I put in the extra hours?" He tried to hand the card back to her but she refused to take it.  
  
Rolling her eyes, she picked up his cell phone and pager that were left on the chair and put them in his pocket. "I feel like breaking into a chorus of 'My Love Don't Cost A Thing' but I don't think the other shoppers would appreciate it," she said sarcastically. She smirked. "You're going to be late."  
  
Her words set him into action as he frantically gathered his things, kissing her quickly on the lips before jetting out the door.  
  
Serena turned to the saleslady who had watched them in amusement, "Let's try another one."  
  
Fifteen gowns and a few thousand dollars later, Serena walked out of the bridal shop. Deciding to walk the few blocks to her apartment instead of hailing a cab, she strolled down the bustling sidewalk.   
  
As she lazily walked along the strip of high-end stores, an intricately designed wedding cake caught her eye in the window of a bakery and she stopped. Searching in her purse for paper and a pen, she scribbled down the name of the bakery on the paper and shoved it back into her purse, juggling her bags all the while.  
  
Out of nowhere, a red blur slammed into her, sending her bags flying. Her face smacked into the glass with a resounding 'thud.' Looking up to see the rude person who'd knocked her over, she groaned when she recognized who it was: Beryl.  
  
"Oh, is that you, Sienna?" Beryl's artificial face held a look of shock. "I didn't notice you with all of the weight you've gained."  
  
Serena dusted herself off and busied herself with collecting her bags, ignoring the ridiculous insult. "Hello Beryl," she greeted with fake enthusiasm, "Is that a new nose?"  
  
Beryl scowled and looked at Serena's bag, "Doing some shopping for the wedding, darling? I assume Darien will be paying for everything... how could you on your meager salary? That is unless K-Mart comes out with a bridal line."  
  
"I'll have you know that I paid for my gown at one of the most expensive boutiques in this city," she spat. Her face was flushed in anger and she chided herself for getting angry over that worthless piece of trash.  
  
Beryl shook her head in pity, "But darling, you shouldn't spend your life savings on something that isn't going to last."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Serena willed herself not to strangle the arrogant witch. "I suppose it will pain you to learn that Darien and I are very much in love. I assure you that our marriage is going to last."  
  
At this comment Beryl began to laugh hysterically. Once she quieted, the same false-piteous look crossed her face. "What is a marriage without trust?"  
  
Serena's eyes narrowed, "Excuse me?"  
  
Beryl shook her head. "There is so much you don't know about your dear, sweet, noble Darien. Oh, the stories I could tell you! You may want to know about them before you walk down the aisle. He's not the man you think he is."  
  
Serena's jaw tightened before she smiled. "Brilliant attempt to break up the engagement, darling," she clapped for good measure, "but you can't manipulate us anymore."  
  
Beryl's green eyes flashed but she kept a serene smile on her lips. "Suit yourself. But if you ever want to know, give me a call." She walked away for a bit before turning around. "I hope the dress is refundable."  
  
It was dark by the time Serena returned to her apartment. After the confrontation with Beryl, she dropped off her bags and went for a walk to clear her mind. Checking her watch, she realized that her walk had lasted over an hour and that Darien was probably wondering where she was. That is, if he didn't have another 'work emergency.'  
  
She opened the door to her flat expecting to find a dark, empty living room. Instead, she found her fiancé lounging in her loveseat, quickly emptying her candy dish. His socks and shoes were scattered on the floor and she winced at the imprints they made on her clean white carpet. Normally she wouldn't care, but she just cleaned for company; this was a once-in-a-lifetime event for her!  
  
Closing the door quietly, she padded silently to his prone position in the chair, fully intent on scaring the crap out of him. Reaching out from behind him, she grinned evilly. This would teach him to mess up her clean apartment!  
  
"You really should get better candy. I'm surprised you even get company with this crap." Darien's voice sliced through the quiet room and she screeched in shock as she fell backwards at the sudden noise.  
  
"How did you know I was there?" Serena asked, lying awkwardly on the ground.  
  
"I saw your reflection in the mirror," he deadpanned, looking down at his fallen fiancée. "You have way too many mirrors in this place," he commented pensively as she got up, "Do you have some sort of narcissistic disorder that I don't know about?"  
  
For this comment he received a piece of "crappy" candy in the face. "I'll tell you where you can shove that crappy can-"  
  
The doorbell interrupted her and she looked at him questioningly. He smiled and pulled out his wallet, walking to the door, "Since you were late getting home, I took the liberty of ordering Chinese."  
  
She came to the door as well and despite his objections, paid for half of the meal. When she was about to walk away, the delivery boy got her attention. "Does the pretty lady want a fortune cookie? It brings good luck!"  
  
Smiling at the man, she took the cookie from his hand. "Why not? I could use the good luck," she mused, "Thanks."  
  
As soon as the door was closed, Darien pouted.  
  
"What?" she asked amusedly.  
  
"I didn't get a fortune cookie."  
  
She grinned, "That's because you're not a pretty lady." Bringing two of the cartons into the kitchen, she looked at them curiously. "What did you get?" she asked excitedly, just as a hyperactive child would.  
  
Darien shook his head. "You and food... Will I ever be your first priority?" When he received a glare, he grinned. "Cashew chicken for me and shrimp lo mein for you- no carrots, of course."  
  
She hugged him, "So you DO pay attention!"  
  
Serena artfully picked up a long noodle with her chopsticks out of the white carryout box and took a bite. When she noticed that Darien was looking at her in shock, she swallowed and asked, "What? Do I have something in my teeth?"  
  
Darien grinned. "No... I was just wondering how the Queen of Uncoordinated ever managed to use chopsticks so dexterously."  
  
She threw a packet of duck sauce at him and attempted to stare him down. To her chagrin, he caught it easily. "I haven't been klutzy since high school! Get your facts straight, buddy!"  
  
He smiled, taking a bite of his chicken and swallowing. "I know... I'm just amazed with how much you've changed since the days of old."  
  
She gazed at him contemplatively. "You know what's weird about you?"  
  
Glaring into his meal, he looked up and mock-pouted, "I don't think that I want to know."  
  
Putting down her box on the glass coffee table, she grinned easily and persisted. "Well, you're going to hear it. You ask a million questions about me, not that I mind, and whenever I ask anything serious about you or your past, you change the subject. You act all open, but in reality you're a very closed-off person. You only let people see what you want them to. It even took me two weeks to pry your favorite food and color out of you!"  
  
Darien swallowed uncomfortably and slowly put his box down. His eyes fell on her reluctantly. He gave a weak smile. "I'm interested in you, not me. Believe me, I'm boring... uneventful..."  
  
She frowned. "I don't think you're boring." When he began to squirm under her speculative gaze, she grew suspicious. She thought back to her conversation with Beryl. "Are... are you hiding something, Darien?"  
  
His wide eyes flew to her face, "No, why?"  
  
Shrugging, she decided to change the subject. So he didn't like to talk about his past. Big deal. She didn't either. "No reason... You are the dark and mysterious type, remember?" she replied lightly. At his silence she continued, "I guess sometimes I feel like I don't know what makes you... well... you."  
  
After a moment of silence, he picked up his box again. "I see the 'dark and mysterious' thing is working in my favor. You want me," he said with an arrogant grin.  
  
"What I want is to finish my dinner without having to wonder about the mystery that is you," she deadpanned, reaching for her fortune cookie and opening it. Quickly reading the small slip of paper, she froze at the neatly printed words.  
  
_'Beware of the person closest to you.'_  
  
Darien's face held a look of confusion when he saw Serena freeze after she read her fortune. "What does it say?" he asked, bewildered.  
  
Serena quickly shoved the fortune into her pocket. "Nothing," she replied quickly. Too quickly.  
  
"Liar," he said easily, "I saw numbers on the back."  
  
"Lucky numbers!" she laughed nervously. "Can you imagine a fortune cookie with no fortune but lucky numbers?"  
  
His brow furrowed and he reached for her pocket, "I think you're lying."  
  
She laughed the same nervous laugh as she backed up. "Why would I do that?"  
  
He shrugged. "Maybe it's because it says something like... 'You want to have wild, passionate sex with your fiancé.'"  
  
Rolling her eyes, she jammed the fortune even further into her pocket, trying to be inconspicuous. "Sorry to disappoint you, but no."  
  
"So then what does it say?"  
  
"I have to pee!" she exclaimed, jumping off the couch. She was dying to see what the fortune was about and she couldn't do it in front of him. So, of course the most logical place where he wouldn't follow her would be the bathroom!  
  
"Huh?" he asked confusedly, looking at her strangely.  
  
"I really have to go..." she handed him her food, "Here, enjoy! I'll be back."  
  
His eyes followed her as she all but ran to the bathroom. When the door slammed shut, he shook his head. "I picked a weird one... a good one," he conceded, "but a weird one."  
  
Meanwhile, Serena yanked the fortune out of her back pocket and read it again. Oh, there were numbers on the back all right! A telephone number! Serena sat in the middle of her bathroom, terrified and slightly paranoid. Why would someone give her that? How would they know about her current dilemma? She decided that the only way to find out was to call the number. Luckily, her cell phone was still in her pocket. Taking a breath, she quickly dialed the number.  
  
"Hello?" a grating and somewhat familiar voice answered the phone. Who else could it have been? She smacked herself in the head for her foolishness. Beryl. Of course it was Beryl.  
  
"Why did you send me the fortune cookie, Beryl?"  
  
"Wasn't that a cute little touch? Very 'Nancy Drew Mysteries,' don't you think?"  
  
"What do you want?" Serena asked tiredly.  
  
"For you to be completely informed before your wedding day."  
  
"Go bother someone else," Serena spat, about to hang up the phone.  
  
She could almost see Beryl smiling across the city. "He wouldn't tell you about his past, would he? About what he really does for a living?"  
  
"He's your lawyer, you moron. That's it."  
  
"Oh, he's much more powerful than that, darling," she said smugly. "He's an asset to daddy's company for several reasons... he has quite a colorful past with Vandergrift Inc., you know. But I'm getting ahead of myself... you don't know about that."  
  
Serena stayed silent, doubt beginning to cloud her mind.  
  
"If you'd like to know, and I'm assuming you do, meet me at the restaurant on 24th and Main at noon. And come alone, darling. I don't think you'll want this information to get out to the public."  
  
"Why should I trust you?" Serena asked suspiciously.  
  
"Because I have tapes and papers as proof. Darien is a meticulous documenter of his work. Have a good night's sleep, darling. You'll need it for tomorrow."   
  
Suddenly, Serena heard a click and her nemesis' voice was gone. She groaned. Which was worse: going behind Darien's back to get information or walking down the aisle blindly? She felt like a heel for even calling Beryl. She felt even worse that she was going to meet her.  
  
The next day, Serena wrung her hands under the ornately carved table. She was seated in the far corner of the lavishly decorated restaurant, as per the request of Miss Vandergrift. It was already ten minutes past noon. Trust Beryl to be late the one time she needed to see her. Groaning in frustration, she ordered a glass of wine. If she was going to receive the shock of her life as Beryl had told her, she might as well be wasted for the event.  
  
Just as she was about to leave out of guilt for betraying Darien, the Artificial One made a grand entrance into the expensive restaurant. A purple sequined and feathered number adorned the heiress and Serena shook her head. If she wanted attention, she got it. Every head in the place turned as Beryl made her way to her seat, giggling obnoxiously as the host pushed in her chair.  
  
"Hello darling!" She greeted Serena as if she were a long lost friend. "I do believe that I'm a tad late... fashionably late they say... so I suppose I'm excused..." she mused, opening her menu.  
  
Serena rolled her eyes and looked at the menu as well. Fifty dollars for a steak the size of her fist? That would never happen. She looked for the cheapest item on the menu: a salad. A fifteen dollar salad. Groaning inwardly, she closed the menu and waited in silence until a waiter came and they placed their orders.  
  
When the waiter walked away, Beryl wore a look of contrition on her wildly made-up face. "Silly me, I didn't even think about the prices here! You can't afford these things on your meager budget! How embarrassing!"  
  
Serena's face was taught with anger, yet she managed a calm tone, "Don't worry about it. One overpriced lunch won't kill me." When Beryl laughed at her response, her eyes resembled chips of blue ice as she glared at her. "Let's get down to business, Beryl. I'm not here to chat over lunch. Just tell me what you've been dying to."  
  
Beryl shook her head as she reached into her matching feathered bag and pulled out a thick folder. "No tact, dear... you have absolutely no tact. I suppose it's the way you were raised, though... Poor breeding is one of the saddest-"   
  
"The folder?" Serena cut her off, glaring at her icily.  
  
"Tsk tsk... I need to preface first. Let me see... A long time ago, a brilliant young man came under the watchful eye of my father. He had raw and untapped talent, but he was reckless... unruly... Nevertheless he was a genius in law and business practices. So my generous father took the poor boy under his wing. Daddy gave him the best education money could buy and trained him personally. Eventually the boy came to work for Vandergrift Inc. That boy is your fiancé."  
  
Serena sat in silence. Why wouldn't Darien have told her that? Did he think that she would have looked down on him? She frowned. Something just did not make sense. "Lovely story, Beryl. Now if you'll hand over the folder?"  
  
Beryl shook her head, a conniving grin etched on her face. "So hasty... you won't understand unless I tell the whole story dear. Patience. Now, where was I? Oh yes, my father took Darien under his wing. Here's the thing about being rich: it's hard to get rich, and in the dog-eat-dog world of business, it's hard to stay rich. So my dear father had to resort to some... less than scrupulous methods to secure our wealth."  
  
"What does this have to do with Darien? He's just your lawyer..." Serena trailed off. Somehow she was beginning to doubt that he was just a lawyer.  
  
"Darien has unconventional ways of thinking. He's extremely perceptive... vigilant... and he knows how to get what he wants. These are all excellent qualities that are needed to be one of our employees. You see, Darien found loopholes in the law... ways to cover up indiscretions... all tasks that needed to be completed to ensure the welfare of the company."  
  
"You mean... Darien is a..." Serena couldn't complete the sentence. If it really was true, if he really was a criminal, everything he'd ever said would be a lie.  
  
"Yes, darling. Your brilliant little fiancé is indispensable to Vandergrift Inc. for a reason. He knows all of our secrets. He's even participated in what the judicial system likes to call 'white collar crimes' for the good of the company. What do you think about him now? Will you leave your fiancé now that you know about his criminal activities?"  
  
Serena wanted to cry but she couldn't let Beryl see that. "Why should I? I'm sure I could forgive him... one day..." she replied uncertainly, almost to herself.  
  
Beryl raised a thin red eyebrow. "Maybe not, dear. Think back to Ann's funeral. Weren't you just a teeny bit suspicious that a twenty five year old died of a brain aneurysm?"  
  
"No," Serena said tearfully, "I was too grief-stricken at the time to question it."  
  
"You really are naïve," Beryl commented, referring back to their conversation at the funeral service. "If you'll remember, Ann was an employee at Vandergrift Inc.. She was a smart girl, but too inquisitive for her own good. Somehow poor Ann managed to stumble upon some of our misdeeds while researching for a project. The silly girl was planning to go to the authorities and we simply couldn't let that happen. My family would go to prison for life. So we decided to take care of her. And your dear, sweet, noble Darien allowed me to kill her. He didn't do a thing... he just stood there and watched as I murdered your dear old friend. And then he made sure that it didn't get out. It's amazing what a little money can do to cover something up... along with Darien's genius of course."  
  
Serena shook her head furiously, "It can't be true... he would never do that..."  
  
Beryl smiled arrogantly, "Yes, he would." She handed the heavy folder to Serena. "Here's the proof: written logs, tapes, CD's... it's all there."  
  
Although she could barely see through her unshed tears, Serena briefly looked over the files. Beryl was right. There was all the proof in the world to put away the family for life. She looked up at the triumphant woman. "Why would you tell me this?" she asked confusedly, "I could go to the police with this and they'd arrest you immediately."  
  
"I don't think that you'd want to do that, Serena. Yes, those files contain information that would put my family in prison, but there's a wealth of information about Darien too. He'd be locked up just like the rest of us." Beryl tilted her head to the side, "Do you really want to send your fiancé to prison?"  
  
The tears could not be held at bay any longer as Serena began to cry. Grabbing her purse and the folder, she stood up in her chair and glared at the woman who was crowing with delight. "I hope that one day someone does catch you. I hope you spend the rest of your life rotting away in prison!" she spat, storming out of the restaurant.  
  
Beryl simply shook her head at the comment and watched her rival leave. "Some people are so ungrateful."  
  
Serena blindly ran down the street to her car. Weakly falling into the front seat, she let herself sob freely. After a few moments, she wiped her tears and looked over the files more closely. Everything was in Darien's handwriting. From what she could tell, he was involved in some serious crimes. Reaching for her cell phone, she took a shaky breath. She had to talk to him. She needed to hear an explanation from him. Dialing his number, she wondered what she would say to him. What was she supposed to say? 'Hi Darien! Say, were you involved in any criminal activities the past ten years?' A ringing sound broke her out of her misery. To both her chagrin and relief, his answering machine picked up.  
  
She took another shaky breath before speaking after the beep. "Hi Darien, it's me. We need to talk. Please call me when you get this... or come over... I really need to speak with you." She hung up the phone and sighed when she realized that it was completely obvious that she'd been crying. Starting the car, she headed towards her apartment. An explosion was imminent and she wasn't sure that she'd be able to handle it.  
  
By the time Darien returned Serena's call, it was nearly six o'clock. Apparently he'd been in meetings all day with his phone turned off. She didn't even want to know what kind of meetings they were. When he'd called, he immediately picked up on her distraught tone and insisted upon coming to her apartment right away. She wondered if that kind of perceptiveness was acquired from working under Beryl's father for so many years...  
  
The sound of her doorbell cut through the eerily silent room and she wearily trudged to the door. Slowly opening the door, she leaned against it for support. The sight of him nearly undid her. He was the epitome of perfection; it was almost impossible to believe that he could commit any type of crime.  
  
As soon as Darien caught sight of her disheveled form, he took her in his arms. "My God, Serena, are you okay?" he asked with utmost concern, "Are you sick? You look like hell."  
  
Yes, she imagined that she did look like hell. That was what nearly four hours of crying did to someone. She knew that her eyes were red and puffy and that her hair was unkempt. Somehow she didn't have the heart to care. Leaning into him, she nearly began to cry again when she realized that it could be the last time he held her as an innocent man... the man she always thought he was.  
  
"Serena?" She looked up at him tearfully and said nothing. "You must be sick... you're not talking!" he said with a lopsided grin. When she buried her face in his chest, the grin fell from his face. "Okay, I'm putting you to bed right now."  
  
When he tried to move her in the direction of her room, she shook her head, "No," she said in a paper-thin voice. "I'm not sick."  
  
He looked at her worriedly, "Then what's wrong?"  
  
Suddenly, she began to cry, "You'll hate me..." she mumbled amidst her tears.  
  
Chuckling slightly, he shook his head in disbelief, "I'd never hate you." He tilted her chin up with his pointer finger, "Now tell me what's wrong."  
  
Taking his hand, she led him to her room where she had put his files. Sitting on the bed, she motioned for him to sit as well. Confusedly he did so.  
  
She decided that the best method would be to let him confess before she accused him. Sighing, she stared at his hand entwined with hers as she spoke. "Have you... Have you been totally honest with me during our relationship, Darien?"  
  
He looked at her strangely, "Of course I have! Why would you think otherwise?"  
  
From the defensive tone of his voice, it was evident that bringing Beryl into the conversation would need to be postponed until absolutely necessary. "Why won't you tell me what happened after you dumped me? Why don't you trust me?" she pleaded, watching as his position turned into an angry, defensive one.  
  
She could she the thin wall of ice building over his eyes as he physically and emotionally withdrew from her. "What are you talking about?" he asked icily.  
  
A cold, quiet dread filled her as she realized that her assumptions were correct. Darien never got defensive unless he was in danger. And from the look on his face, he was most certainly in danger of being found out. "In all of the time that we've been together, you've barely opened up to me. I can't help but think that you're hiding something..." she assumed that playing ignorant would be the best way to make him open up.  
  
He glared at her. "Don't be ridiculous," he spat, his eyes moving to the painting above her bed.  
  
She finally grew angry. "Look at me Darien," she commanded, turning his head to face her with two shaking hands, "and promise me that you're hiding nothing. Promise me that I can trust you," she spoke firmly now, intent on getting an answer.  
  
"Now you're just being stupid," he growled, attempting to distract her, "Just like you were when you were fifteen."  
  
Serena had reached her limit. Before she even realized what she was doing, her hand shot out and slapped Darien across the face. "Don't you DARE ever speak to me like that again, Darien Shields! You know I'm smarter than that. Now answer my question: have you lied to me? Have you been hiding something from me?"  
  
Darien reeled back in shock at the force of her slap. His glare persisted, though, "Which one would you like me to answer?" When he realized that she was about to boil over in rage, he ceased his sarcasm. "Fine. No, Serena, I haven't been hiding something from you. Happy now?" he asked in annoyance.  
  
Rigidly, Serena stood up and walked over to her dresser. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out his files. Stiffly walking back to him, she threw the thick folder on the bed. "Then explain this."  
  
"How did you get this?" he picked up the file and stared at it in a mixture of shock and fear.  
  
She smirked, "So you have been hiding something."  
  
He shook his head in denial, "My records... all of them... no one was supposed to see this..." he looked up at her in dread, "You weren't supposed to see this..."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me, Darien? Did you think that I couldn't be trusted?"   
  
Staring up at her, he began to look sick. "You would have left me if I told you."  
  
"How long did you think that you could cover this up? These aren't petty crimes, Darien!" She took out a page from the files, "Look at what you were supposedly involved in! Bank fraud, embezzlement, paying and accepting bribes, insider trading, murder?!?"  
  
He looked away.  
  
"So it's true then? You covered up for Beryl's family all these years?"  
  
"It's not entirely what it looks like," he said weakly.  
  
Frustrated, tired, and disappointed beyond belief, Serena fell onto the bed, "Then explain it to me. Explain to me how you could commit all of these crimes... how you could lie and cheat and steal and not feel remorse... how you could watch Ann die?"  
  
"I can't," he whispered tearfully, avoiding her stricken gaze.  
  
She got up from her dejected position on the bed and looked at him, "How could you keep that from me? I gave you so many chances... and you still couldn't trust me..." she felt hot tears pour down her cheeks and she swiped at them furiously.  
  
He tugged on her hand and she reluctantly looked up at him, only to find his blue eyes staring down at her in remorse and guilt and something else unidentifiable that made her cry even harder. "I wanted to protect you..." he whispered hoarsely.  
  
Her eyes narrowed in fury, "Don't give me that crap!" she raged, ripping her hand from his grasp, "You don't have to lie to me anymore, Darien! It's over! No more pretenses! Tell me why!"  
  
"I can't," he said painfully.  
  
Serena's heart ripped in two at his softly uttered words. How many times had she gone through this with him? How many times did he have to lie to her before she gave up on him? She was done with being the naïve Meatball Headed teenager that ran back into his arms after he broke her heart time and time again. Wrenching the brilliant diamond ring off of her finger, she threw it at Darien who barely caught it in shock. "If we can't trust each other, then we have no business being in a relationship! I can't marry you... I don't even know who you are!"  
  
Darien shook his head and tried to give the ring back to her. When she refused, he spoke in a desperate, hushed tone: "Serena, you don't understand... I can't explain what I've done, but I want to marry you... I love you..." he trailed off with a lost and confused look on his face.   
  
"No you don't..." she cried, pushing his hand offering the ring away. "You can't love someone you don't trust and you obviously don't trust me, Darien. Even after all this, you can't at least tell me why you did it. I can't take this anymore! You've broken me too many times. I'm done," she stated firmly, stalking out of the room to her entryway. Darien blindly followed.  
  
When she opened the door it became clear that she wanted him gone. Darien, however, remained rooted to the spot behind her. "Serena, you don't understand... if you'll just wait... I'll be able to explain it to you..."  
  
She laughed bitterly, "I'm listening."  
  
He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and sighed. "I can't tell you now... but... um... soon..." he stumbled over his words clumsily.  
  
"When, Darien?" she asked impatiently, disbelievingly.  
  
"I don't know," he confessed sorrowfully.  
  
"Then we're done," she whispered in defeat. "Just go. Don't worry... I won't tell anyone."  
  
Darien's eyes began to tear, "No... that's not it! If you could just wait-"  
  
Serena's jaw tightened and she lashed out at him, "I have waited ten years! And now I want you to leave!" her voice went from a sharp hiss to a shout, "Just leave! I don't want to see you ever again!"  
  
The remaining broken pieces of her heart shattered as he walked out the door in defeat. Softly closing the door behind him, she slid to the floor and cried. She finally completed what her head had been telling her to do for years. She'd done the most logical, moral, and probably safest thing possible. Then why did it hurt so much?  
  
END CHAPTER NINE   
  
AN: Don't you just hate me now? I've actually been dropping a few hints here and there in the past few chapters about Darien's past. You're probably very confused right now. Rightfully so. In the next chapter, we'll find out what really happened. I've decided to put flashbacks of Darien's past in the final chapter, so all of your questions will be answered. Chapter Ten is going to be very long, so it may be a while before I get it out. I would make it two chapters, but there's really not a good break-off point. I'm making no promises, but I'll try to get it out as soon as I can. Chapter Ten will also be my last regular chapter. I'm pretty sure that I'll have an epilogue though. I guess that's about it for today. Thank you to the people that read and review my story! I appreciate it! 


	10. Chapter Ten: Answers

Untitled As of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: Ok, I lied. I thought that Chapter Ten would be my last chapter. I really did. But then I thought, do readers deserve to wait three months for a twenty-five page final chapter? No. So, I've decided to split it. I realize that you'll probably be peeved that your questions won't necessarily be answered right away, but it was this or an extremely long wait with nothing. So I apologize in advance for Darien's flashbacks getting pushed back to Chapter Eleven. Meanwhile, please take a moment to review my story. I really appreciate the response from the last chapter- it actually lit a fire under my behind (or hands, if you will) to start this extremely daunting chapter. Anyway, thanks a bunch and if you have a second, please leave a review!  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply.  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
"Serena, this is your mother! Pick up the phone right now, young lady! How could you tell the wedding planner about the broken engagement before your own family? How do you think I felt when I called to check on the order for the flowers and your planner told me you'd broken up? I know you're there! How would you feel if told a complete stranger something like that before you? Pick up! I swear, if you were still young enough, I'd ground you. But that's just it- you're NOT young anymore! How could you have broken up with that sweet, caring, wonderful m-" BEEP! The answering machine timer cut off Serena's mother and at the moment, she couldn't have felt more relieved.  
  
After staying in her apartment for three days, Serena's answering machine had accumulated quite a few messages. Her friends and family had left message after message berating her for breaking up with Darien after hearing about it 'through the grapevine.' Even Chad had called her. It seemed that everyone had something to say except for Darien. For some reason, the fact that he hadn't called was so unbelievably depressing to her. Perhaps he was too busy with work, she thought bitterly.  
  
Her phone began to ring once again and she groaned at the shrill noise. Letting the machine pick up, she walked over to the phone, fully intent on disconnecting it. However, Mina's frantic voice stopped her just as she was about to pull the plug.  
  
"Serena! Put on the TV right now! Turn to any news station! I know you're there, mopey. You've got to see this. Put it on now! Call me later!" Click. Intrigued, Serena walked over to her bed and turned on the television. Leaning back against her pillows, Serena expected to see a segment on a sale at Neiman-Marcus.  
  
What greeted her was no sale- standing in the front of a bustling crowd was Darien!  
  
Looking professional and handsome as ever, Darien was talking quietly with a newscaster. She could tell that he was completely worn out by the look in his eyes. She sighed. His exhaustion was thinly veiled by a polite smile. He looked like he hadn't eaten or slept in days. But then, why should she care? It was over. Still, the urge to listen to why he was on TV was tempting. She turned up the volume.  
  
A tall, nondescript man in a suit was conducting an interview with Darien amidst pandemonium. "In case you're just tuning in, we have breaking news. The Vandergrift family of Vandergrift Inc. has been arrested after being charged with bank fraud, embezzlement, paying and accepting bribes, insider trading, and surprisingly, murder. Here's a clip from earlier today when the family was arrested."  
  
An elderly, shrewd-looking man was shown being led to a police car with a woman who was most likely his wife following. Both looked incredibly pissed off and Serena cringed as the old woman slammed her spiked heel into an officer's shoe purposefully.  
  
The newscaster's voice could be heard over the curious crowd of people. "Here we have Mr. and Mrs. Vandergrift being led to the car following their arrests." The old woman was wildly made up with abnormally arching brows and incredibly elastic-looking skin. Serena smirked as she realized where Beryl got her penchant for plastic surgery and horrible fashion sense.  
  
Suddenly, the fairly peaceful scene became hectic as a frightful woman tore out of the Vandergrift mansion. The terrified newscaster stammered on nervously, trying to avoid the rage-filled woman. "And that would be Beryl Vandergrift, heiress to the family's fortune. She is facing the worst of the charges, with murder being at the top of the... AHH!" A disgruntled Beryl attacked the man, knocking him over and grabbing his microphone.  
  
Serena laughed when she saw how disheveled the heiress was. She wore a hideous pea green and bright yellow sequined nightgown, absolutely no makeup, and her hair looked like a bad Diana Ross knock-off. Beryl started screeching as several officers began inching toward her, tazers in hand.  
  
"I'm innocent! Innocent! It was all my father's fault! He did everything! I'm a victim of his madness!" At her hysterical words, the police began to run after her. Suddenly, several crashes could be heard in the background as the screen turned black.  
  
The news program returned to the newscaster and Darien. The man shook his head, "Miss Vandergrift threw the camera at an officer in an attempt to escape. We can't show the rest of the footage... it was far too... violent for our younger viewers." The man cleared his throat. "And now I have an exclusive interview with Darien Shields, the Vandergrifts' former lawyer. He turned to Darien, who looked terribly uncomfortable. "Mr. Shields, please tell us about how you exposed the Vandergrift family."  
  
Confusion clouded Serena's mind at the newscaster's words. Exposed? She turned up the volume on the TV even more and listened for her ex-fianc's response.  
  
Darien blew out a breath before answering. He looked like he'd answered that question fifty times already and barely managed a polite smile. "I can't tell you too much, but I've been working with the FBI to finally expose the family for all of the crimes that they've committed."  
  
"Is it true that you participated in some of the crimes that they are being charged for?"  
  
"I can't answer that," Darien said uncomfortably before grinning slightly, "The feds have got me on a tight leash."  
  
"So in exchange for your information, you'll get off with a slap on the wrist?"  
  
Darien shrugged, slightly agitated. "More or less."  
  
Serena tuned out the rest of the interview. So that was his big secret. He'd told the rest of the world before her. Her face crumpled in anger and misery. He still couldn't trust her. He never would. And now the whole world knew about it. She felt the familiar sensation of tears running down her cheeks and she chided herself for her foolishness. "He's not worth it," she said to herself, wiping away the tears.  
  
Shaking her head furiously, she walked over to her closet and threw some clothes on her bed. She was supposed to work the night shift and she'd planned on calling in sick. Angrily throwing on an outfit, she glared at her disheveled appearance in her vanity mirror. "You've wasted your life on that man. Quit feeling sorry for yourself," she spat at the reflection. She moved to get ready for work. If she'd already wasted ten years on him, she didn't want to waste any more time.  
  
Two Months Later...  
  
Life was finally starting to get back to normal for Serena. Well... almost normal. She'd kept herself busy through work and visiting Raye, who was now a week past due in her pregnancy. Darien hadn't tried to contact her in any way and she'd somehow convinced herself that she didn't want him to. He just brought her worry and heartache, whereas now... well, she still had worry and heartache, but it was different! At least that was what she told herself.  
  
Walking down the familiar, sterile white hallway in the hospital, Serena stared at a folder in her hands and pretended to be examining at a patient's file. She was not in the mood to socialize. In reality, a stack of old pharmaceutical magazines lay beneath the folder, but she didn't want any nosy co-workers to know that. If supposedly immersing herself in work got people to leave her alone, it was worth it.

Everyone she worked with wanted to know the full story of what happened with Darien and she was sick of it. Even after two months people still wouldn't leave her alone; "Serena, wasn't your fiancé that man on TV?" "Serena what happened with you and that nice boy you were seeing?" "Serena, was your fiancé really working for the FBI?" Half of the time she couldn't even answer the questions thrown at her!  
  
Sighing in annoyance, she made her way to her locker and changed from her hot-pink scrubs into regular clothes. Giving a half-hearted wave to the meddlesome receptionist on her way out, she suddenly stopped when she heard her name.  
  
Groaning in frustration, she slowly turned around to face the person who'd called her. It wasn't another gossiping nurse or curious intern; to her shock, the weary face of Allan greeted her.  
  
Her eyes widened at the sight of him standing tiredly in a polo shirt and khakis. "Allan! What are you doing here? It's nearly eleven at night!" she exclaimed, stepping into the light of a street lamp.  
  
"I've been trying to track you down all day," he said exasperatedly.  
  
At his remark, she grew uncomfortable. "Why?"  
  
"I'm not sure if you heard, but," he smiled, "It's Ann... she's alive."  
  
Her eyes grew impossibly large. "What?"  
  
"The FBI kept it under wraps until the trial started. The moment I found out I flew here. It was just released to the press today, since the trial started three days ago. You haven't heard?"  
  
"No... I've been busy with work. Goodness... that's so wonderful to hear!" Serena threw her arms around his neck in joy but after a moment caught herself. Inconspicuously as possible, she drew back, disentangling her arms from around him. She stared up at him confusedly. "But... how?"  
  
Allan shoved his hands in his pockets and a blush crept up his normally pallid face. "Actually, it was Darien who saved her life. Beryl was going to inject some type of poison into Ann, but Darien switched the syringes without her knowing. He covered it up all this time."  
  
"And you didn't know?" she asked, outraged.  
  
"They couldn't tell me for fear that it would get out," he explained.  
  
Serena sighed. It was just another secret kept to add to the ridiculously long list. Mustering a smile, she leaned against the lamppost. "How's Ann doing?"  
  
"Good. She's decided to stay here for a while... and she's happy to see friends and family again..." he trailed off, remnants of a blush still apparent on his cheeks.  
  
Serena's golden head bobbed up and down. "That's good... I'll go visit her..." An awkward silence ensued and Serena nearly groaned in annoyance. How was she supposed to act, given their last confrontation?  
  
"I heard about you and Darien," he started hesitantly, "I'm sorry it didn't work out."  
  
Serena smiled bitterly, "Me too." She didn't even want to know how he found out.  
  
"But, you know... I was thinking if you're free sometime... and you want some company, maybe we could... I dunno... go to the theater... have dinner, maybe?" he stumbled over his words and Serena's heart plummeted. He was asking her out.  
  
Allan continued to stare at his feet until Serena spoke. "I'm really not ready to see anyone yet. I'm sorry, Allan..." she said gently. She felt like a clod for leading him on the way she did in London, even if it was mostly unintentional.  
  
"We could just be friends... for now..." he persisted. "I know that you're not over Darien yet, but with time, maybe you can..." he trailed off uncertainly, his large brown eyes vulnerable.  
  
Get over Darien? See someone else? She hadn't even thought of it. In truth, the thought of being with someone other than Darien tore her apart. Even though she thought highly of Allan, she didn't think of him like that. Her azure eyes showed great remorse as she gazed up at the stumbling man. "I was really in love with Darien, Allan. It isn't something that I can just forget about."  
  
He gazed down at her earnestly. "Maybe I can help you forget," he whispered, inching closer. Catching her off-guard, he leaned down and took her lips in a light kiss.  
  
Serena stood under the lamplight, frozen against his lips. Her eyes were wide with surprise as her childhood friend kissed her. The first thought that flew through her already buzzing head was that it was wrong. There was no spark, no electricity, no fire... not like when she was with Darien. The moment Allan kissed her, she knew without a doubt that she was still in love with Darien. In the back of her mind, she dimly heard a slight clamor in the background, but it was all washed away when Allan tried to deepen the kiss.  
  
Reeling back in shock, she stared up at him with scandalized eyes. "Where did that come from?"  
  
"I love you," he confessed, pulling her slack body to his. His hands moved to rest on her hips and her eyes widened further, neither accepting nor protesting his closeness. "I've loved you since we were kids."  
  
She shook her head, confusion whirling in her mind. How could she not have picked up on this? She'd known the man since she was twelve! "What are you talking about?"  
  
He sighed, "You really have no idea?"  
  
Giving him a blank look, she shook her head.  
  
"When we were kids, I couldn't stand any of Ann's friends. They were all annoying... children in my eyes. But you... you were different. You always had this..." he searched for the right word, "light about you. You still do."  
  
She frowned, "I'm not the same person you... uh... fell in love with. That carefree little girl is gone."  
  
A smile graced his lips, "No, that's what I love about you. You don't see how wonderful you are. I've always seen it. Especially once you were in high school... I would have made a move, but he was always there."  
  
ALLAN'S FLASHBACK  
  
Allan found Serena chattering animatedly with the arcade worker at the counter. Unable to hear what she found so exciting, he slipped into a booth and listened.  
  
"Can you believe it, Andrew? They want me to be a model! Me!" She sighed dreamily, resting her chin in her hand.  
  
Just as the teenager was about to respond, he walked into the arcade like he owned it. He sauntered over to Serena, taking the seat next to her. Eyeing the slip of paper, Darien began to laugh hysterically. "A model? You?"  
  
She glared at him, "Yes, me. The agent says that I have a unique look."  
  
His eyes swept over her. "Unique doesn't even begin to describe it." The words were sarcastic, but Allan could tell that he meant it another way. This man was not simply her antagonist; he was competition. "Do you really think that you could even make it down a runway without tripping?"  
  
"You're ruining my special moment."  
  
"I'm preparing you for the harsh realities of a world you have no place in," he muttered dryly.  
  
Her eyes widened and began to fill up with tears, "How would you know?"  
  
"Please Meatball Head, I've modeled before. It's hard work; something I know you despise."  
  
"You don't even know me- I work hard when I want something! They gave me a callback! I'd be a good model. The agent told me so."  
  
"He must have been distracted by the two giant balls on your head."  
  
"Ooh, you're infuriating!"  
  
"I'm honest."  
  
"Gee Darien, lay off her. If she wants to model, let her." Andrew scolded, wiping off the counter.  
  
"Yeah Darien, let everyone see my beauty."  
  
He scoffed, glaring into his coffee. "What beauty?"  
  
"You are so mean, Darien!"  
  
Andrew looked at him slyly, "You think she's ugly?"  
  
Darien's eyes widened. "Well, no."  
  
"So then you think she's pretty."  
  
Darien's eyes got wider. "No!"  
  
"But I thought you said that she wasn't ugly."  
  
"She's not."  
  
"Stop talking about me like I'm not here!" Serena interjected.  
  
"You're either pretty or ugly. So you think she's pretty."  
  
"Andrew!" Darien admonished, heat rising to his cheeks. Unbeknownst to them, Allan glowered at the raven-haired teenager.  
  
"Aww, you think I'm pretty, Darien? Thanks." Serena kissed his cheek and smiled blissfully, hopping off her stool and gliding to the doors.  
  
"I think you're pretty too," she said playfully as she walked out the door.  
  
Little did she know that Darien held his hand up to the cheek that her lips had touched, nor did she see the dreamy look in his eyes as he watched her walk down the street.  
  
Allan exited the arcade in disgust. Why did she bother with him? Darien insulted and teased her relentlessly, yet he received more attention from her than himself. Why didn't she see him like he wanted her to?  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
"I didn't even know you were there that day," she whispered, eyes wide in astonishment. She'd known Darien for about seven months then. The modeling dream was short-lived and she remembered that she'd only gone to the arcade that day to impress Darien. Allan's burning stare broke her out of her reminiscence.  
  
"You never did notice me after he came into the picture," he whispered resentfully, then smiled tenderly. "But that's all history now. We're together and that's all that matters." He tried to draw her closer, but this time she resisted.  
  
She sighed. His attentions were endearing at best and kind of creepy at worst. However, she knew that he was harmless and that made her refusal of him so much harder. It would be so easy to fall into his arms and be taken care of, treasured for the rest of her life. But it just wasn't right. She couldn't love him in return. It wouldn't be fair to either of them. "Allan... I don't... I love you like a friend... I'm sorry..." she stammered, breaking free of his grasp.  
  
"You're still in love with him, aren't you?" he asked bitterly, stepping away from her.  
  
Looking away, she nodded ever so slightly.  
  
"You always were... even in high school... I knew once you met him... I didn't have a chance. I never had a chance, did I?"  
  
Her eyes began to fill with tears of guilt and she shook her head, "Don't say that! I wish I didn't love him! If... if I hadn't met him... I'd love you in an instant. You're a wonderful person, Allan! You'll make some girl very happy one day."  
  
"Just not you," he whispered sullenly.  
  
"I'm sorry..."  
  
"If you love him, then you should be with him," he said quietly.  
  
She smirked, "It's not that simple."  
  
He smiled crookedly, brushing her golden bangs out of her eyes. "It never is. But he loves you... and whatever is keeping you apart can't be worth giving up the relationship for."  
  
"He doesn't trust me. He's lied to me so many times..." she ranted, kicking a loose pebble on the sidewalk.  
  
"But you still love him," he finished for her. "I suggest you go find him because I'm not this generous with everyone."  
  
She smiled slightly, "You're a good man, Allan. Thank you."  
  
He nodded and watched her leave with a sad yet peaceful look in his eyes. "Don't let my generosity go to waste!" he called. Sighing, he walked away and out of her life.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Serena arrived at her apartment. Without even bothering to turn on a light, she took a few steps into the living room and collapsed on the couch, both physically and mentally exhausted. After a few moments, she switched on the lamp sitting at her end table. Staring at the phone that sat within arm's reach, she contemplated whether or not to call Darien. Sure, it was nearly midnight, but he was always up this late when working on a major case.  
  
To her surprise, the phone began to ring and she picked it up immediately. Only one person would call this late. "Darien?" she asked excitedly, straightening up.  
  
"Do I sound like Darien?" Raye's irritated voice deadpanned back.  
  
"Oh, it's you," Serena said disappointedly.  
  
"Gee, thanks. I'm happy to speak to you too."  
  
Serena sighed, "What's up, Raye?"  
  
"How could you cheat on Darien?!?" Raye screamed through the phone, causing Serena to wince and pull the phone from her ear.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Serena shot back, livid.  
  
Raye's disgusted tone worried Serena. "You kissed Allan. Darien saw you."  
  
Serena could have sworn that her heart stopped at her friend's words. "How?"  
  
"He came to the hospital to see YOU, Serena! He came to see you and found you with Allan!"  
  
Shaking her head as if to deny that it ever happened, Serena spoke desperately. "I didn't kiss him. He kissed me! I pushed him away as soon as I recovered from the shock. I wanted no part of that kiss!"  
  
"Well that's not what Darien said," Raye spat.  
  
Serena thought back to when Allan kissed her. She'd heard something in the background- that something must have been Darien. "Wait a minute- how do you know what Darien said? Why would he even come there in the first place?"  
  
Raye seemed almost sheepish now. "Chad and I have been trying to convince Darien that you want him back for weeks. Tonight we finally got him to go visit you at the end of your shift, with the news of Ann being released today..."  
  
"You've been trying to... to convince Darien to take me back? I can't believe you!" Serena sputtered angrily, holding the pillow on her lap with a death grip.  
  
"We didn't mean any harm by it... and you two belong together! Serena, he's cleaned up his act for you! He's different now!"  
  
Serena scowled, throwing the pillow aside. "Darien doesn't change," she said firmly, "He makes you think he's different, and then one day he slips up and shows that he's still the eighteen year old conceited jerk that he's always been. And if he wanted me so badly, he would have contacted me without your suggestion, or more likely, threats."  
  
Raye groaned, "Do you even know what he's been doing since he came forward with the information?"  
  
Walking over to her candy dish and shoving a piece of chocolate in her mouth, she rolled her eyes. "Enjoying his celebrity?"  
  
"No, you moron. He's become a social worker... he's trying to find homes for kids at the orphanage."  
  
"Well bully for him," Serena deadpanned, popping another piece of candy into her mouth. "Give the man an award."  
  
"Stop being so stubborn!" Raye cried exasperatedly. "Darien wants to impress you... be better for you... Talk to him and set things right! He's really upset, Serena."  
  
"I'm guessing that he called you after the... incident."  
  
"He called Chad. It sounded like he had been crying."  
  
Serena's jaw tightened. "He should cry. It's what he deserves. Raye, I think that it would be best if you stayed out of this." Sure, she still loved him, but actually acting on her feelings would be out of the question until he proved that he could trust her.  
  
"You need to talk to him! He cares about you!" Raye urged.  
  
"He didn't even have the decency to tell me the truth!"  
  
"Did you let him?"  
  
"A million times!"  
  
"Could he really have told you?"  
  
"If he loved me he could!  
  
Raye began muttering foul expletives about her friend's stubbornness. Suddenly, her grumbling stopped. "Fine. Say... if you're so over Darien, then you wouldn't mind meeting a friend of mine, would you?"  
  
"Don't even start," Serena warned.  
  
"I really think you'd like him! He just ended a long-term relationship, too. You can meet him at the bar," Raye coaxed. She and Chad co-owned a restaurant and bar with Lita. A bar was the last place that Serena wanted to meet someone.  
  
"No."  
  
"You know, I have the strangest urge to show Darien that tape from a couple weeks ago when you had a bit too much to drink and you talked about what you wanted to... do with him..." Raye trailed off slyly, leaving the threat open ended.  
  
"When did you say you wanted me to meet him?"

* * *

Against her will and good judgment, Serena did show up at Chad's bar and did wait for her date, just as Raye had... 'requested.' Dressed in black pants and a corset-style top, Serena looked more ready for the date than she felt. She frowned, taking a seat at the modern, silver-toned bar. When a bartender came by, she absently asked for a White Russian and moped, mulling over her mess of a life. What the hell was Raye trying to prove by setting her up with another guy? What would Darien say if he saw her on a date?  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" A familiar, sharp voice cut through her thoughts.  
  
'Oh. That's what he would say.' She slowly turned around on the stool to come face-to-face with two glaring blue orbs burning into her. Darien. The sight of him filled her with so much relief and tension at the same time that she didn't know whether she was coming or going.  
  
She stared at him for a moment, taking in every detail from his fine Italian leather shoes to the unbuttoned button at the top of his white shirt. He looked good. And she hated the fact that he did.  
  
After realizing that she'd been staring for a good ten seconds, she racked her brain for a comeback. "I could say the same for you," she shot back icily. 'Ooh, good one. That'll show him!' she thought sardonically.  
  
He smiled coldly. "I have a date."  
  
Her lips formed into a smile but her eyes betrayed her. "Good for you. I hope you have a wonderful time." Turning back around the bar, she desperately searched for anyone manning the bar. "Bartender! Where's my drink?"  
  
"Drinking isn't a good way to medicate your problems," Darien drawled, taking a seat next to her.  
  
She turned to him, outraged. "Oh, you're one to talk, Mr. I-Was-So-Drunk-I-Couldn't-Even-Hold-My-Head-Up-To-Vomit-In-The-Toilet! Besides," she sniffed, "I don't have any problems to medicate."  
  
Darien smirked. "Just keep telling yourself that." The bartender brought her drink, at which point she made an obvious attempt to ignore him, so Darien decided to get her attention. "Did I tell you about my date? Tall... brunette... posed for Playboy..."  
  
He watched as Serena took a sip of her drink... and another... and another... She downed the whole drink and when she was finished, she wiped her mouth primly with a cocktail napkin. "How wonderful for you." She looked left and right before turning back to him in confusion, "But where might this supermodel be? Oh, you don't think she stood you up, do you? That would be a shame."  
  
"And why did you say you were here again?"  
  
"I have a date," she replied in the same tone that he had used.  
  
"With who?" he asked darkly, scanning the coolly decorated room.  
  
Lifting her nose in the air, she looked across the room. "None of your business," she said haughtily.  
  
"It's the bastard, isn't it?"  
  
She turned to look at him sharply. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You're meeting Allan, aren't you?" he accused, his cobalt eyes burning into her.  
  
She shook her blonde head. "Don't be stupid, Darien. You have no idea what you're talking about."  
  
"I know exactly what I'm talking about! I saw you kiss him!" he shouted, standing from his seated position.  
  
"We didn't do anything!" she yelled back, standing as well.  
  
"Don't lie to me," he muttered warningly.  
  
"I'm not! But of course you couldn't tell because you can't tell a lie from the truth!" she shouted, breathing heavily.  
  
Both of them were unaware that all activity had stopped in the bar and that everyone was staring at them with rapt attention. As the two quieted, Raye nervously approached them. "Serena, Darien!" she greeted awkwardly as they turned to face her, both flushed with anger. "You've found each other! This is working out better than I thought!"  
  
Serena's glare turned murderous as she studied her friend. "Raye, what the hell is going on?"  
  
"Yeah, where's my date?" Darien asked impatiently.  
  
Serena was about to question Raye further when she stopped and turned to Darien. "Wait a minute- you were set up on a blind date too?" He blushed. "You lying bastard!" she squealed, her face reddened even more. "Supermodel my ass!"  
  
"At least you're talking now..." Chad said in a placating tone, coming to stand behind his wife.  
  
"I can't believe you would put me up to this, Raye! I would expect something like this from Mina, but not you!" Serena scolded, feeling helpless and incredibly embarrassed all at once.  
  
Raye's eyes began to tear up slightly, "I was just trying to help. You two missed each other so much... You are perfect for each other!"  
  
Darien's eyes narrowed into dark blue slits as he glared at Serena. "We're obviously not perfect for each other. I've had enough."  
  
As he began to walk out, Raye screamed, "No! You can't leave!"  
  
He turned back coldly, "Why?"  
  
Raye's dark eyes looked panicked, "Because my water just broke!"  
  
"God, it's like you planned it this way," Darien deadpanned, walking back over to them. "I'll call the hospital. Chad, you take Raye. I'll take Serena and we'll meet you up there."  
  
"Perfect!" Raye squealed, before clutching her middle in pain. She looked up at Darien, beginning to sweat. "Call now."

* * *

Serena sat uncomfortably in the passenger's seat of Darien's car. She just had to take a taxi to the bar, didn't she? Sighing in frustration, she watched Darien out of the corner of her eye as he started the car, purposely avoiding looking at her.  
  
After three minutes of silence, she let out another aggravated breath.  
  
He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "What is it?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Rolling his eyes, he looked at her for the first time during the ride. "Will you stop sighing? It's annoying."  
  
She glared at him, shifting her body so that it faced the window. "Fine. I'll try to breathe more quietly," she said sarcastically.  
  
Another two minutes of silence went by before Serena decided to be brave and break it. "This is awkward," she groaned quietly, staring out the window at the yellow sparkle of the streetlamps.  
  
"Are you suggesting that we make conversation?" he asked in the same sardonic tone that she'd used before.  
  
She shrugged, resting her forehead on the cool window.  
  
"Why did you go to Chad's bar?" Darien asked suddenly, breaking the tense atmosphere.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Why did you agree to go on a blind date?"  
  
"Blackmail," she replied easily. "You?"  
  
"Threats to my well-being."  
  
"Oh."  
  
The tense atmosphere returned as the conversation lulled for the next few minutes until they arrived at the hospital. They walked next to each other stiffly as they caught up to Raye and Chad.  
  
At that point, Raye was choking Chad by his tie. "Medication," she hissed dangerously, "I need medication!"  
  
Poor Chad was simply trying to breathe. "Baby," he said in a hesitant, raspy voice, "You made me promise not to let you have any. Remember, we wanted a natural birth?"  
  
"You wanted a natural birth, granola boy! I wanted drugs!" Just as Raye was about to explode, she noticed Serena and Darien staring at the two of them in shock. "Serena, hand me my shoe. I can't reach it right now but as soon as I get a hold of it, it has a date with my husband's a-"  
  
"Mrs. W-Whitfield?" a small, meek doctor approached her tentatively. He was about as tall as Serena and probably weighed the same, too. At that moment, she feared for the poor doctor's life. "We'll try to make you as comfortable as possible, if that's any consolation..."  
  
"I want drugs!" Raye exclaimed demonically, grabbing the doctor by the collar. "I don't care if you have to knock me out with a frying pan, just make this pain go awwwwwwwwaaaaayyyyyy!" With that, she let out a wail that made Serena proud.  
  
The doctor's eyes nearly bulged out of his head at his patient's screaming. He motioned for nurses to wheel her to an elevator and turned to Darien and Serena.  
  
"I'm afraid you'll have to stay in the waiting room," he whispered to them apologetically. "It's probably safest," he added, looking back to find Raye repeatedly smacking Chad with her shoe. "We'll let you know."  
  
Six Hours Later...  
  
Serena sat tiredly in an uncomfortable chair in the waiting room, propping her legs up on the chair across from her. Lazily rolling her head in Darien's direction, she found him in a similar position with the latest issue of "Fit Pregnancy" lying on his rising and falling chest.  
  
Out of nowhere, the bloodcurdling scream of a distressed pregnant woman tore through the room. Darien awoke with a terrified look in his once heavy-lidded eyes. Serena sighed, "It's not Raye. I'd know her shriek anywhere. She screamed at me so many times as a teenager that it's engrained in my memory... more like my nightmares."  
  
He chuckled quietly, sitting back down in the chair. After spending several hours together, they'd come upon an awkward, temporary ceasefire for Raye and Chad's sake. If they had to spend the entire night together, they might as well not be at each other's throats. "Hey... I haven't heard her or Chad for a while. They must have given her an epidural," he mused, stretching his stiff neck.  
  
Serena's face held a slightly worried expression. "Sometimes epidurals make the contractions weaker and slow labor. We could still be here for a while."  
  
Darien groaned and ran a hand through his hair. Serena looked up at the TV and Darien watched her for a moment. "Do you remember our first date?" he asked quietly, studying her drowsy features.  
  
"How could I forget? It wins the award for most awkward first date ever," she smiled nostalgically.  
  
"Was it really that bad?"  
  
She stared at him incredulously, "I had a severe allergic reaction! I could have died!"  
  
"And here's where the Meatball Headed part of your personality shows through," he said dryly.  
  
"You have some nerve!" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
He shrugged. "I still had fun, though."  
  
Her anger melted away at the wistful look on his face. She sighed. "Me too, I guess. Just not the poisoning part."  
  
He smiled down at her and they sat in amicable silence until the doctor they'd met earlier approached them and motioned for them to follow. Serena squealed excitedly and Darien smiled at her giddiness, quickly walking down the corridors to Raye's room.  
  
As soon as they entered, their eyes widened at the horrible, piercing cry that filled the small room. Serena looked over at her sweaty, drugged-up friend holding the screaming newborn and began to squeal. "Oh Raye... Chad... I'm so happy for you!" Rushing over, she peeked in the pink blanket that the quieting infant lay in. "She's beautiful!" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.  
  
Darien came over and slapped an incredibly worn-out looking Chad on the back. "Congrats, man." He looked down at the dark-haired, now-slumbering child and grinned. "What's her name?"  
  
Raye smiled up at them, "Sabrina. Sabrina Arielle Whitfield."  
  
"It's perfect," Serena smiled through her tears. "She's perfect."  
  
A proud smile graced Raye's tired face. "Thanks."

* * *

Darien and Serena had spent about fifteen minutes with Raye and Chad afterward and left when Raye all but kicked them out, saying that she'd been through hell and wanted to sleep. Serena had grinned at her friend's candor and dragged Darien out of the room, waving goodbye to an exhausted Chad.  
  
On the way out, they found themselves in front of the nursery where Sabrina slept.  
  
Serena stopped at the sight of the tiny infants. Sighing, she placed a palm against the glass and watched the sleeping babies. "They're so cute," she cooed.  
  
Darien smiled slightly, "You want kids?"  
  
Seemingly startled, Serena looked up at him to find him actually smiling genuinely at her. "Yeah," she said softly, "I do."  
  
He nodded, breaking eye contact and staring into the nursery. "Me too."  
  
At this, Serena blushed and looked down, a strange sadness settling on her. He wanted kids. He found homes for orphans. Could he get any more perfect? Suddenly feeling very depressed, she turned and made her way to the elevator.  
  
Darien followed Serena, confused by her sudden change in demeanor. Both were silent on the ride down to the lobby and it only got worse as they walked through the parking lot.  
  
As Serena sat in Darien's car, she was all too aware that their truce was rapidly coming to an end. It was now obvious that he didn't have feelings for her as he was making it a point to avoid eye contact once again when she glanced over at him. Everything about him was rigid and full of suppressed anger, she noticed for the first time that night. Leaning her head against the frosty window, she tried to swallow the lump in her throat from his obvious dismissal. He started the car and she closed her eyes, willing herself to sleep and forget the travesty that was her life.  
  
When he sped off into the night, Serena glanced over at him and took a deep breath. If he wasn't going to talk, then she was. "Are you mad at me?"  
  
He didn't move to look at her. "What makes you think that?" he asked coldly, speeding up a bit.  
  
At his dismissal she grew angry. "For once in your life, can you please tell me the truth about how you actually feel?"  
  
His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly and her eyes widened as she watched the needle on the speedometer move farther and farther to the right. "You want to know how I feel?" he asked darkly, and she knew not to answer. "I'm furious! I'm angry and I'm hurt and I'm confused!" He glared at her, his blue eyes glowing with anger. "Is that what you wanted?"  
  
She stared at him through wide eyes, unable to move or speak lucidly. "Why?" she asked hoarsely. No coherent thoughts were running through her head and she had no idea how to respond to his emotional outburst.  
  
"You cheated on me!" he accused, speeding up even more.  
  
"Darien, slow down!" she yelled fearfully as they raced down the deserted street. She gazed at him in astonishment, "How many times do I have to tell you that Allan and I aren't together? Besides, even if we were- you and I broke up Darien! It's not cheating if you're unattached!"  
  
The car came to an abrupt, screeching halt. "Get out," Darien ground out, breathing harshly.  
  
Serena briefly glanced out the window to see that they were in front of her building. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to get out of the car. "No," she said firmly, shaking her head. "You think that I've wronged you in some way; we've got to clear this up."  
  
"Why should we?" he asked coldly. "We're not attached in any way."  
  
"I didn't kiss him, Darien!" she exclaimed desperately.  
  
His furious gaze faltered. "What?"  
  
She stared into his eyes beseechingly, desperately trying to prove that she felt nothing for her childhood friend. "He kissed me and I pushed him away. You just didn't see."  
  
Darien sat silently, absorbing the new information. "Oh," he said dumbly. After a moment of blank stares, Darien got out of the car. He walked over to her side and opened the door for her. "I'll... uh... walk you up... you shouldn't be out by yourself this late," he stammered, ushering her out of the car and into the building.  
  
It was her turn to be confused by his behavior. Now he was being nice to her? Thoroughly confused, Serena stepped into the elevator. Darien followed. "You... don't have to come up with me, you know. I come home this late by myself all the time."  
  
As the doors closed, Darien's face reddened and he ran a hand through his slightly messy hair. "You don't want me to stay."  
  
"No!" she exclaimed, then quieted, "No, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I didn't want you to feel obligated to... oh never mind," she finished quietly.  
  
"So you want me to stay," he deadpanned.  
  
"All I meant was that I wanted to avoid any awkwardness for you... or me," Serena supplied hesitantly, stepping out of the elevator. Her stomach flipped when she saw him follow closely behind her.  
  
"I think it's a bit late for that," Darien mused.  
  
They padded down the corridor quietly, careful not to wake any sleeping neighbors. When they arrived at Serena's door, she tried to smile but failed miserably. "Well... this is me."  
  
He nodded and they stared at each other for a moment. She groaned inwardly; he was so unreadable. The fact that she had no idea what he was thinking drove her crazy. Not once during the night had he showed any indication that he wanted her back, so who was she to assume that he even wanted a relationship? Sighing disappointedly, she looked away. She pulled her key out of her purse and was about to put it in the lock when she felt a warm hand on her own.  
  
Her eyes flew to his face as a spark shot up through her arm and flowed through her icy veins like liquid fire. She gazed up at him questioningly, a blush creeping up her neck.  
  
"Are... Are you going to be okay?" he asked uncertainly.  
  
'No. I won't be. I'm lost and alone and I'm miserable.' "Yeah," she uttered softly, "I'll be okay."  
  
Suddenly the warmth on her hand was gone and he stepped away from her. She opened the door and walked in, turning to face him. He remained rooted to the spot outside her door. "Then I guess this is goodnight," he whispered, his glacial eyes reflecting the same sorrowful emotion in hers.  
  
She swallowed and attempted not to cry. "Goodnight," she murmured, softly closing the door on his dejected form.  
  
Tears filled her vision and she found it hard to breathe. What had she done? Had she thrown away her last chance with him? Inhaling sharply, she flung open the door, only to find his slumped form trudging to the elevator.  
  
At the sudden noise, Darien whirled around, his perfect features exhibiting a mix of shock and hope. He stared at his ex-fiancée as she leaned against the doorframe, gazing at him tearfully. At the sight of her tears, he rushed back to her.  
  
Her eyes swam with tears as she looked up at the man that was her entire world. "No, I'm not okay."  
  
END CHAPTER TEN

AN: Ok, I know that it can take over a year for a trial to begin, but hey, it's my story. I'm also aware that I should have a scene with Ann in the next chapter or so, but honestly, I don't really want to write one. My main focus is on Darien and Serena. So what do you think? Would you like to see Allan and Ann in the last chapter or epilogue? Or would you like for them to be lost to the abyss of supporting characters? Also, due to the W.I.S.E. program at Aria's Ink, I've been trying to work on rushing less and putting more detail in my writing because, well, I think that my skills in those areas are mediocre at best. Leave a review- let me know how you really feel. Come on, you know you want to. Well, I think that's everything, so until next time, faithful readers and reviewers!


	11. Chapter Eleven: Darien's Past

Untitled As of Yet  
  
By Usabelle  
  
AN: Okey dokey. -cracks knuckles and takes a seat in front of the computer determinedly- Time for Chapter Eleven! Yay! This is the chapter that all my little loose ends in the story have been leading up to. I've beaten myself up over and over again trying to think of a way to tie everything together and here it is. I hope it works. I also want to address the fact that there have been a lot of questions surrounding Ann's "death." Yes, she had a funeral, but I didn't mention anything about a casket, procession, etc. I kept it vague for a reason. See what goes on in my twisted little mind? I'd also like to commend readers who figured out that Darien was working for the FBI. Good job. But I digress. So before I get all teary eyed, here is the last chapter of Untitled As of Yet. I hope you enjoy it.  
  
Standard Disclaimers Apply.  
  
Chapter Eleven: Darien's Past  
  
"No, I'm not okay," Serena whispered, looking up at him through watery eyes.  
  
He stared at her, concern etching the tired planes of his face.  
  
She didn't even know how to begin to explain how she felt. "It's just that... that I'm so alone... and when I saw Raye and Chad and little Sabrina, I thought..." she paused, drawing in a shuddering breath. "I realized that I will never be lucky enough to have that."  
  
Darien gazed down at her with an expression akin to understanding but she kept on, determined on telling him exactly how she felt for once.  
  
Stray tears escaped her eyes unheeded as she kept prattling, not even fully in control of the words that slipped from her mouth. "I know that I shouldn't feel that way and I'm happy for them... I really am... but I'll never feel the joy that they feel because I love you and everything's so messed up... and I'll always be alone," In the midst of her tearful lamentation, she wasn't even aware of what she'd confessed.  
  
Darien's eyes became large as saucers at her nearly hidden proclamation. Striding forward, he lightly nudged her backward and into her apartment. He gently closed the door behind him and she gazed at him questioningly.  
  
When she moved to speak again, he put a finger to her lips and gave an affectionate, watery smile. "We need to talk," he whispered, tugging on her limp hand and leading her toward the couch in the dimly lit living room.  
  
"I know," she conceded quietly. She blushed at the state of disarray her apartment was in. "Can I get you anything? Coffee? I'm afraid that I wasn't expecting anyone..."  
  
He stared at her exasperatedly, disbelievingly. "Are you kidding me? I've finally decided to come clean with everything and you ask me if I want coffee first?" At her shock and slight withdrawal, his eyes softened. "Be selfish for once, Serena. You deserve it." He came to sit on the couch and she hesitantly followed. "You deserve to know the truth."  
  
At his guilty words, Serena came to her senses. "I do deserve the truth. You've lied to me so many times, Darien. I've been ridiculously tolerant and I won't stand to be lied to again."  
  
Darien gave a wary, lopsided grin. "You're not going to make this easy, are you?"  
  
"You never made it easy for me," she shot back, ice on the edges of her comment.  
  
He sighed. She was right. "I don't even know where to begin..."  
  
"Start at the beginning, Darien," she whispered, bringing her knees up to her chest.  
  
Blowing out a breath, he leaned back on the pillows. "I... I don't remember much from my childhood... I was always lonely, but you know about that," he glanced over at her and she nodded, resting her chin on her knees.  
  
"When I was by myself at night in the orphanage, I'd cry because I had this one memory of my mother... her face would start to blur in my mind and it scared me. I was scared that I'd forget her altogether and then I wouldn't have anything left."  
  
He turned to her and found a sympathetic gaze looking back at him. "Remember when I told you about how thunder is just angels bowling?"  
  
She nodded, a warm smile forming on her lips. "Of course."  
  
"My mother told me that," he uttered quietly, looking away.  
  
"Oh Darien, I didn't know..." Serena whispered. Suddenly she felt extremely gifted to have been let in on one of Darien's most private memories.  
  
"Thank you for sharing that with me," she murmured in awe. "It must have been hard."  
  
An ironic smile graced his handsome features. "Actually, you were the first one that didn't laugh at me when I said it. All of the workers at the orphanage thought it was stupid and assured me that it wasn't the case. The kids... they thought I was strange because I'd go and sit outside on rainy days with a smile on my face..."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
A six-year-old Darien jumped at the sound of thunder in the arts and crafts room. The finger painting that he'd been working on was immediately forgotten as his round blue eyes lit up at the sound. Racing out of the room, Darien dashed to the playground as fast as his legs could carry him.  
  
He failed to notice the teacher yelling after him, absorbed in the sound of the rain. The fact that he was getting completely soaked eluded him; a sweet, genuine smile lit up the usually somber boy's face.  
  
Lightning crackled in blue-gray sky and his grin widened. Just a few more seconds and... BOOM! Thunder tore through the air and he closed his eyes, remembering his mother's soft words.  
  
_The tall, raven-haired woman knelt beside his bed. A storm raged outside, eliciting tears from him.  
  
"Mommy!" he cried, "I'm scared!"  
  
Gently smiling, the woman tucked him into his blankets a bit further. "There's nothing to be afraid of, Darien."  
  
"God must be really mad to make that much noise," his tiny voice whispered from underneath the blankets.  
  
She shook her head and smiled. Her calm voice began to assuage his fears slightly as a gentle hand stroked the side of his face. "He's not mad at all, sweetie. Every time you hear thunder, that the loud sound is actually the sound of angels bowling."  
  
"Really?"  
  
She nodded, her kind blue eyes looking down at him warmly. "The angels are having a party in heaven, so you should smile whenever you hear it."  
  
The tiniest of smiles appeared on his face. "Thank you, Mommy."  
  
"You're welcome, Darien. Goodnight," she whispered, exciting his room.  
  
"Night, Mommy," he whispered in return, and when the loud crack of thunder rang through he room, a smile appeared on his face.  
_  
"Darien! Darien!" A grating voice shook him out of his memory.  
  
Little Darien turned to find his teacher staring down at him in anger under a large black umbrella. He gave a bright smile. "It's thundering, Miss Crabtree! It's thundering!" he cried joyfully, jumping around excitedly.  
  
The teacher rolled her eyes. "I know. You need to be inside, young man. It's not safe."  
  
He stared up at her disbelievingly. "Yes it is! Thunder is just angels bowling!"  
  
"Where did you hear something as stupid as that?"  
  
His small face scrunched up in anger. "My mother!"  
  
She glared at him. "You don't remember your mother. And your idiotic story is completely untrue." Yanking his arm, she dragged him back to the building. "Now stop making up these stories and go back to art class."  
  
As she walked away, his eyes began to tear. "I'm not making it up! It IS true! My mommy wouldn't lie to me!" he yelled after her.  
  
The sound of laughter at his back caused him to turn and face the children in his class. An older boy stared down at him mockingly. "Your mommy's dead and you made that story up. Maybe that's why they died- so they wouldn't have to be around their stupid son!" The class erupted in laughter and Darien began to cry.  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Serena's eyes glazed over at Darien's story. "Oh Darien..."  
  
"After that, I didn't tell anyone about it... until you." His eyes were watery and her heart nearly broke at the sight.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered gratefully, placing a hand over his own. At her touch, he swallowed and she noticed that he was just barely suppressing tears. "I never thought you'd be a crier," she said pensively.  
  
He merely stared at her.  
  
"I always thought that you were the strong, silent type. When we were teenagers, I always tried to suppress my tears when we fought. I wanted to act grown up for you," she smirked. "Being grown-up meant showing no emotion- I didn't think you cared. At least that's what I thought when I met you..." She looked down, "I didn't know you as well as I thought."  
  
"You don't know what went on... what a monster I was..." he muttered painfully, avoiding her eyes.  
  
Suddenly she gripped his hands and shook her head in a furious motion. "You're not like them, Darien. Maybe you were involved with their dealings, but you're not like them!"  
  
"You really think so?" He asked it so uncertainly that she nearly melted.  
  
She nodded reassuringly and paused for a moment before speaking. "How did you get involved with Beryl's father in the first place?"  
  
He smirked. "I needed a job the summer of my senior year. I'd turned eighteen and was living on my own. I needed money. It paid pretty well... and Vandergrift was very generous. Especially after Beryl decided she liked me."  
  
A look of disgust crossed her face yet she said nothing.  
  
"You're upset," he whispered.  
  
"You're perceptive," she responded sarcastically.  
  
They sat in silence for a moment before Darien uttered two small, simple words. "I'm sorry..."  
  
Her head whipped around to face him. "For what?"  
  
He swallowed conspicuously and took in a shaky breath before speaking. "For treating you like shit! For lying to you... making you think I didn't want you... I always wanted you, Serena."  
  
She sat in silence for a moment. Was he really sorry? "Why?" she whispered confusedly, eyeing him uncertainly.  
  
"Why what?"  
  
"Why did you lie to me? Why did you cheat on me? Why did you humiliate me?"  
  
He sighed. "It's a long story..."  
  
"I've got time," she said flatly, staring him down.  
  
An uncertain look crossed his remorseful features. "You want to know the truth?"  
  
"You know I do."  
  
He nodded. "If you really want to know... I liked you when we were teenagers. A lot. When you... uh... asked me out, it made things so much easier for me because I felt the same way about you. Remember when I told you that I dumped you because I wanted to be accepted?"  
  
"How could I forget?" she retorted dryly, settling back on the couch.  
  
His features were once again dominated by remorse. "That wasn't what happened."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
She was meeting him at the party. He didn't even want to go in the first place... he just knew that Beryl would make trouble. It wasn't like he could do anything about it; Mr. Vandergrift was giving him a free ride at Harvard all the way through law school and if he did anything to displease daddy's little princess, his free ride would be shot.  
  
Nodding at a teammate in greeting, he entered the nearly empty arcade. He was twenty minutes early, since he wanted to talk to Andrew and Beryl-proof the area. If Beryl came in contact with Serena, he knew that it would be a disaster. Taking a seat at a booth, he looked around for Andrew, but to no avail. Someone handed him a cup of punch and after staring at the red liquid for a moment, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. There was more vodka than punch in the cup. Sighing, he set the cup down and waited, hoping that Serena would arrive before Beryl.  
  
Suddenly, someone slid in next to him, running a perfectly manicured hand up his arm. He immediately tensed. It wasn't Serena. She wouldn't have done anything that forward.  
  
He cringed as the person next to him slithered in closer. "Hello, darling," she purred. Damn. It was Beryl.  
  
Not even turning around to face her, he kept his voice cold. "Hello Beryl."  
  
"Aren't you happy to see me, baby?" she asked sweetly, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Not especially," he retorted coldly, shrugging her off.  
  
"It's that little girl, isn't it?"  
  
He swallowed nervously. "I don't know what you're talking about."  
  
She pouted. "Come on, Darien! She's that ugly little freshman with the tragic little hairdo. What's her name? Sienna? Sarah?"  
  
Frowning, he eyed her warily. "Serena. Her name is Serena."  
  
"So it is true then? Is she really your girlfriend? Because I could see where someone as pathetic as that would assume too much."  
  
He stared at the cup of punch on the table. "We're together," he confessed quietly, praying that Beryl would leave them alone.  
  
The sound of obnoxious laughter filled the room and he cringed. "Oh Darien, you can't be serious! She's a little girl! An ugly little girl!"  
  
"No she's not," he ground out angrily, barely holding his temper in check.  
  
She placed a hand on his knee and he nearly jumped. "But Darien, she can't please you like I can, darling..."  
  
He jerked away from her, disgusted. "Leave me alone."  
  
"You're not making me happy, Darien," she pouted, crossing her arms.  
  
"Well the comments you're making about my girlfriend aren't making me happy either," he retorted tightly, glaring at her.  
  
Tilting her head to the side, she stared at him for a moment. "You know, I don't think that daddy would be happy with how you're treating me. I might have to chat with him about it."  
  
"You wouldn't dare."  
  
A sly smile crossed her features. "Oh, I would. I always get what I want, darling, and I want you. If daddy found out about tonight, he might be tempted to revoke your scholarship."  
  
His eyes widened but he said nothing.  
  
"Oh no, if that happened, then you wouldn't be able to afford college, would you?" She spoke with a false innocence that made him sick. "Then you'd never be able to go to law school and you'd end up lower-middle-class! That would be terrible!" she exclaimed dramatically.  
  
He clenched his teeth and tried with all his might not to scream at her. "I'd find a way."  
  
She smiled at his words. "Would you? Harvard is very expensive, darling. Even if you did get some other scholarships, it would never be enough. And you'd have to work full time to pay for the tuition... books... the dorm... your grades would suffer! It would never work, sweetheart. You'd end up as a janitor!"  
  
Taking in a deep breath, he began to feel very nervous. She was right. He would never be able to afford law school without her father. "So? I don't have to be a lawyer." Never mind the fact that he'd wanted to go to Harvard for law since he was ten.  
  
"Little Sienna wouldn't be very impressed with a janitor, would she? How would you provide for all of your little rugrats once you're married and live in your one bedroom apartment? Think about it, Darien. No one wants to be with a failure."  
  
He swallowed. "She doesn't care about stuff like that."  
  
She smiled sweetly and it disturbed him. "Everyone wants to be taken care of. Let's face it... she's not too bright- she probably won't even get into college. I can see it now... the two of you working for minimum wage while your five children are home all alone... growing up to be failures just like their parents."  
  
"Shut up! Just shut up!" he screamed, glaring at her more coldly than he'd done to anyone in his entire life.  
  
Beryl reeled back in shock before the sly smile returned to her face. "That wasn't very nice, Darien. I think I will tell Daddy."  
  
Suddenly all of the fire left him and dread took its place. "No..."  
  
"Unless..."  
  
He was beginning to feel trapped. Panic rose in him as her disturbing smile widened.  
  
"You dump Serena," she finished slyly.  
  
Responding immediately, his glare returned. "No," he said firmly, attempting to stare her down.  
  
She shook her head at him reproachfully. "I don't think you understand, darling. You have to choose. Your dreams... or your girlfriend."  
  
Doubt was beginning to fill him. "No..." he whispered painfully, staring helplessly ahead.  
  
"Will she want a failure? Don't you want to be able to provide for her in the future? How will you do that without Harvard?"  
  
He was speechless. Somehow her twisted words were beginning to make sense.  
  
"You're too smart to throw your life away, Darien. She'll understand... she's young! You're still in high school! You've got too much ahead of you to throw your life away!" she coaxed, resting a hand on his tense shoulder.  
  
She was young... would she understand? Would she go back to him when he was rich and successful? She was young... she'd understand. Wouldn't she? His distorted rationalizations were beginning to make sense. She'd bounce back. She was just a kid... and this was his future. When he was successful, he'd go back to her. Then he'd be able to impress her... provide for her like he wanted to.  
  
He sighed. "I don't know..."  
  
She smiled triumphantly, fully aware that she was getting through to him. "It's just a high school fling, sweetheart. How long have you been together? A week? Think of your career Darien. How long have you wanted to be a lawyer? Seven or eight years? Don't waste your potential on a relationship that won't last."  
  
But it wasn't a fling to him... he'd never felt like that with anyone... he'd been alone for so long...  
  
"Besides, you have me," she said sweetly, smiling up at him.  
  
Something inside of him broke as he made up his mind. "Fine... I'll break it off with her."  
  
As if on cue, the girl in question stepped hesitantly into the arcade. Beryl grinned. "You can do it right now."  
  
His breath caught as he saw Serena walk through the sliding doors, eyes full of worry, excitement, and something else he couldn't name. Suddenly it felt as though a thousand-pound weight had crushed his heart. He couldn't do it. "Not here... I can't humiliate her like that."  
  
"But Darien, that's the only way it will sink in! Clingy people like her don't need subtle hints... they need to be shown that it's over. And you know how slow she is..."  
  
Bile rose up in his throat at the thought of what he was about to do. "Please... let me do it somewhere private."  
  
She shook her head and grinned evilly. "No. You have to do it here. You have to humiliate her... or there's no deal." To prove her point, she slipped her cell phone out of her purse. "Just one call to Daddy..."  
  
He swallowed hard and looked away from the innocent young girl heading towards them. "I'll do it."  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
"Oh my God..." Serena whispered, staring at Darien in disbelief.  
  
"I'm sorry..." he cried miserably, his figure slumped in defeat.  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to collect her thoughts. Was this explanation better or worse than the first one? He gave her up for his dream... could she really resent him for that? Remembering the humiliation she went through, she mentally nodded. Yes. Yes she could.  
  
Her eyes fell on his defeated form and she nearly crumbled. "I'm not sure what to say to that," she confessed hoarsely, waiting for his reply.  
  
"I... I wanted so badly to impress you," he smiled bitterly, "to provide for you... I know it's a dumb excuse, but I felt that I couldn't do that if I didn't go to Harvard."  
  
She stared at him sorrowfully. "I wouldn't have cared if you were the garbage man."  
  
His dejected gaze fell upon her once again. "I know. I knew it back then, but I wanted to go so badly..."  
  
Coldness rushed over her and she withdrew from him even further. Tears filled her eyes at the thought of her holding him back. "I understand. You did the right thing, well, choosing college over me. You just didn't have to do it the way that you did, you know?"  
  
He nodded, his perfect features cloaked in misery.  
  
"It's just that... you seemed so... unaffected by what you did. Like you didn't care that you were hurting me. I guess that's what bothered me the most... that you took it back," she finished despondently, staring at her shaking hands.  
  
"I didn't!" he exclaimed suddenly, and her eyes widened. "I did, but... I didn't mean it. For God's sake, Serena, I was in love with you! You don't even understand what happened to me..."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
Darien stood numbly as he watched the one person he ever cared about tear out of the room and out of his life. Tears pricked the back of his eyes as his classmates cheered him on. What the hell were they cheering for? He'd just humiliated the love of his life and they were congratulating him. Glancing over to Beryl who was standing triumphantly next to him, his stomach lurched. What had he done?  
  
Beryl squeezed him arm and he turned slightly. "Oh, Darien, that was hilarious! The look on her face!" she laughed obnoxiously, leaning on him.  
  
Suddenly horrified, Darien wrenched him arm from her grasp. Stalking away, he grabbed a cup of punch from a table and quickly downed it. Grabbing another, he tried to block the past few minutes from his mind.  
  
Lost in the unfamiliar buzz of the alcohol, he barely felt a teammate come up and slap him on the back. "Hey buddy, slow down. I've never seen anyone drink that many as fast as you."  
  
Darien looked down to find a pile of crumpled cups on the table in front of him. He smirked, "Got anything stronger?"  
  
The teenager smiled slyly, leaving the room and return a few minutes later with a bottle in hand. Looking around suspiciously, he covertly handed the bottle over to Darien. "This stuff will make you go blind. Just don't tell anyone I gave it to you," he whispered.  
  
Nodding, Darien slipped the bottle under his jacket and quickly exited the arcade, albeit a bit unsteadily. He was feeling a bit tipsy from the alcohol he'd consumed and walked blindly to his apartment building, which was thankfully close to the arcade. Leaning against the wall of the elevator for support, he struggled to read the slightly blurry words on the bottle. After a few minutes, he gave up when the elevator bell dinged.  
  
Stumbling into his apartment, he haphazardly turned on a light and sat down. Staring at the bottle in his hand, he tried to remember why he was drinking it in the first place. Suddenly, he remembered. Serena. At that point, he decided he wasn't drunk enough.  
  
Opening the bottle, he poured some of the amber liquid into a glass and took an experimental sip. It burned down his throat and he gasped as it lit a fire in the pit of his stomach. But he didn't care how horrible it tasted... it made him forget.  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
He swallowed, avoiding her eyes. "It didn't stop there. I liked the way it made me feel... it made me numb..." he whispered shakily.  
  
"What happened after that?" she asked quietly, almost afraid to find out.  
  
Smiling bitterly, he turned away. "My life became hell."  
  
FLASHBACK  
  
He was at a party. He knew that he shouldn't be drinking. First of all, he was underage. The last thing he needed was to be arrested. He'd already been caught twice in the past month. Second, he had a huge Microeconomics exam the next day. Sighing, he leaned against a wall and watched the crowd dancing... laughing... talking... It was becoming increasingly harder to be social without a few shots in him.  
  
A scantily clad girl from one of his classes smiled flirtatiously at him and at that moment, he decided that he definitely needed a drink. Every time a girl smiled at him, flirted with him, he'd see her... He'd see her eyes full of tears as he humiliated her... and he'd be so sick with guilt that he'd want to wretch.  
  
Moving towards the bar, his conscience plagued him but he quickly squashed it down. He needed to forget... and that was the only thing that could do it.  
  
The next morning...  
  
Light poured through a window and he groaned. His stomach lurched and his eyes immediately flew open. Groaning, he ran to the bathroom as fast as possible and promptly emptied the contents of his stomach.  
  
When he was finished, he wiped his mouth with a tissue and froze when he noticed blood. Maybe he had been drinking a bit too much lately...  
  
Walking back into his dorm room, he winced when he found a lacy pair of underwear in his bed. How many times had he done this when he was drunk? Trying to find a replacement for her obviously wasn't working. How many times had he screwed up now?  
  
Glancing over at his alarm clock, he panicked when he realized that he was already twenty minutes late for Microeconomics. Throwing on some clothes, he dashed out of the dorms and ran the whole way to his class. When he arrived, his professor simply shook his head at him and handed him the test. Muttering an apology, Darien made his way to his seat and stared at the paper in front of him. Taking an exam with a hangover was not going to be fun.  
  
Later that afternoon, Darien was called down to the dean's office. He knew that his grades were slipping, but were they really that bad? Thinking back to the exam he took hours before, he nodded. They were terrible.  
  
Nervously entering the office, he was ushered in right away and greeted by a very stern dean of students.  
  
"Hello Darien," the older man greeted coldly, motioning for him to have a seat in the leather chair in front of his desk.  
  
"Good afternoon, Mr. Holt," Darien put forth nervously.  
  
The man sighed. "Do you know why I called you in here today?" he asked tiredly.  
  
He had a pretty good idea. "No, sir," he lied, staring down at his shaking hands.  
  
"Your grades have been slipping, Darien."  
  
He nodded, a blush staining his cheeks. "I know."  
  
"Your attendance is shotty as best and you've been caught twice in the past thirty days for underage drinking."  
  
Darien swallowed nervously. "Yes, sir."  
  
"The exam you took this morning... how do you think you did?"  
  
"Poorly?"  
  
The man smiled coldly. "Correct. You scored a thirty on the exam. Are you aware that the class average on that test was an eighty-nine?"  
  
Darien bit his lip, unsure of how to respond. "I'm sorry, sir."  
  
The dean looked at him exasperatedly. "Well, would you like to explain your lackluster performance?"  
  
"Um... I... haven't been sleeping well lately."  
  
"Would that be because you've been partying every night, Mr. Shields?"  
  
Darien's eyes widened. "Perhaps."  
  
"Or maybe it was because you were out drinking with your buddies."  
  
Darien looked away.  
  
"Word travels fast on campus, Mr. Shields. You've already earned yourself quite a reputation here... and you're only a sophomore."  
  
"I'm aware of that, sir," Darien whispered guiltily.  
  
The older man's gray eyes narrowed. "Give me one good reason why we shouldn't kick you out of this institution, Mr. Shields."  
  
Darien paused, taken aback. He never thought that his drinking and partying would get him kicked out... Or maybe he did, but he was too drunk to do anything about it. He sighed. The man was right. He was a waste product. "I can't, sir," he said dejectedly, hanging his head in shame.  
  
"But I can." Another voice entered the conversation and Darien's head shot up. It was Vandergrift. The shrewd-looking man nodded at them and took a seat next to Darien. "This young man has a bright future ahead of him... he just hasn't chosen to utilize his gifts."  
  
The dean glared at him. "And that is precisely why we are considering terminating his education here."  
  
Mr. Vandergrift smiled. "That wouldn't be wise. Mr. Shields has the potential to be Attorney General if he wanted to."  
  
"All of our students are gifted, Mr. Vandergrift. The only way that Darien has set himself apart is through his unruly behavior."  
  
Vandergrift nodded at the man's words. "Darien has gotten himself into trouble. His problem with alcohol is affecting his schoolwork and I agree that this behavior must stop."  
  
Darien's face burned a brilliant shade of red. Who the hell did the man think he was? His father? And why were they talking about him as though he wasn't even there?  
  
The dean stared at him curiously. "Then what do you propose we do, Mr. Vandergrift? As of now, Mr. Shields is no asset to our institution."  
  
"I propose that Darien stays at a rehabilitation clinic until his problem is solved. At that time, he will return to his classes and I will supplement any material that he has missed. He will work part time at one of my companies so that we can make sure that he isn't getting into trouble and so that he gains experience in the work environment."  
  
The elderly man sputtered at Vandergrift's suggestion. "Something like this has never been done before!"  
  
Mr. Vandergrift smiled coldly. "Well, you've never had a student like Darien before, have you? I am an extremely generous man, Mr. Holt. I give several thousands of dollars to this institution every year and those numbers could greatly increase if you accept my proposal. But if you don't... Wouldn't it be a shame if those funds didn't go to the school anymore?"  
  
Holt's eyes widened. "I... I think we can work something out..."  
  
Another conniving smile graced Mr. Vandergrift's face. "Excellent. Now, if you'll allow me a moment to speak with my protégé?"  
  
Dollar signs could nearly be seen in Mr. Holt's eyes. "Of course, Mr. Vandergrift." With that, the man exited the room, leaving Darien to face Vandergrift's wrath.  
  
Darien stared at the older man in shock. "Thank you, Mr. Vandergrift... I appreciate what you're doing for me."  
  
Mr. Vandergrift turned to face Darien and smirked. "I am not a philanthropist, Darien. Every 'good deed' I do has a price."  
  
His brow furrowed in confusion. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You've wasted two years worth of tuition and I refuse to squander any more money. After rehab, you will return dry as the Sahara desert, understood? You will work for me and will handle all of my legal matters from the time you graduate in exchange for my help."  
  
"Legal matters?"  
  
Vandergrift smiled. "Darien, you have a lot to learn. You don't get rich by being an honest man, son. I will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams... but you have to bend the rules to get anywhere. So, do we have a deal?"  
  
Darien didn't know what to do. He was trapped. If he said no, he had no future, but he'd be an honest man... well, as honest as he could be. But if he said yes... if he said yes he'd get help... he'd become successful... he'd be able to turn his life around completely...  
  
"Yes sir, we do."  
  
END FLASHBACK  
  
Serena sat in silence. What could she say to that? He was an alcoholic! Then that must have meant... "Our first date... I offered you a drink... and you said..." she trailed off.  
  
"I said that I wanted one but I couldn't," he finished for her, ashamed.  
  
"And I said that you were a responsible driver..."  
  
He smiled bitterly. "Not so responsible, huh?"  
  
She gazed at him sadly. "Don't say that. I give you credit for going to rehab. Many people wouldn't."  
  
Looking away, he glared into the distance. "It obviously wasn't enough. That night... that night in London... that was me."  
  
She suddenly felt very guilty. "No Darien, that was under very bad circumstances. We were both going through difficult times," she whispered soothingly, putting a hand over his.  
  
His jaw clenched in anger as he stood up, wrenching his hand from her grasp. "That is NO excuse! The person you saw that night was me! The real me! That screwed up failure was ME!" he screamed in self-loathing.  
  
With his rising pitch, hers rose too. "No! That is not who you are! You are a good person and the only reason you had to resort to that is because I hurt you!"  
  
He sighed and sat back down. "But I did it."  
  
"And it's over," she whispered forcefully, trying to get through to him. "The past is the past. We both screwed up, Darien."  
  
"I tried to fix it... by going to the FBI..." he stared at her sadly. "Those work emergencies... I had meetings with the feds... I had to record all of their conversations... that's why I was away so much. I tried to make it better... but it didn't work. I wanted to tell you so much..."  
  
She nodded. "I understand. But why did it take this long for you to realize that what you were doing was wrong?"  
  
He shrugged. "When I found out about what was going to happen to Ann, it was right around the time I was going to propose. I threatened to come forward with the information if they went through with it, but Beryl said she'd tell you everything." His head drooped in guilt and misery. "I couldn't let that happen, Serena. I knew you'd dump me... and we were on thin ice already. But I couldn't let them kill her. I fixed everything so that it looked like she'd been taken care of. So when we broke up... it was really hard."  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling ashamed for her petty revenge.  
  
A smirk played on his face and he shook his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It was actually the fact that we got engaged that made me finally decide to come forward with everything. If we were going to be together, I couldn't have all of that on my shoulders anymore."  
  
Frowning, Serena played with the pillow on her lap. "We really messed up, didn't we?"  
  
His tired blue gaze swept over her. "Is it even possible to fix it? I mean, I've pretty much done every horrible deed in the book." He gazed at her searchingly when she finally made eye contact. "Do you really want that?"  
  
A fragile, slight smile appeared on her face for the first time in a long time and she shifted so that her body faced his. She ran a hand through his jet black hair lovingly, yet their eyes never left each others'. "I want you," she confessed, "I want all of your flaws."  
  
"Why?" he whispered, resting his forehead against hers.  
  
"Because I love you," she whispered back, lightly brushing her lips against his in the faintest of kisses.  
  
A blissful smile spread across his face and he caught her teasing lips with his own in a heated kiss. "I love you, too," he whispered between kisses, pulling her even closer into his warm embrace. "So much..."  
  
The slow kisses became more fervent and soon control was running very thin for the both of them. "Darien..." she whispered, gasping for air as she rested her head in the crook of his neck.  
  
"Marry me..." he whispered suddenly, his soft gaze penetrating all of her remaining barriers.  
  
She placed a soft kiss on his jaw. "Yes."  
  
He stared down at her lovingly. "Tonight."  
  
Her eyes widened and she withdrew slightly, still within the circle of his arms. "Tonight?"  
  
Smiling, he kissed her forehead. "I can't wait any longer... I've waited over ten years for you..."  
  
She nodded and rested her head on his chest, sighing softly. It was so romantic... Suddenly a thought stopped her. "Where are we going to find a justice of the peace this late?"  
  
The quirky, lopsided smile reserved only for her made its way onto his face and she grinned as well. "I know a guy who registered online..."  
  
"But I don't even have a dress... or have my hair done... we won't have any guests..." she replied frantically, wrinkling her brow.  
  
He put a hand on her shoulder, instantly calming her. "This is just about you and me. Do all those other things really matter? I'll marry you like you are right now... I don't care."  
  
She smirked. "You really want to get into my pants, don't you?"  
  
"I consider it a perk of married life," he replied easily, guiding her to her room. "Do you still have the dress?"  
  
Nodding, she opened up her closet and began to dig through the pile of clothes. "I buried it in the corner in righteous indignation when we broke up, vowing to never look at it again. It's a good thing I didn't get the urge to burn it," she mused, pulling the large white box out from under a pile of old shoes. Opening the box, she sighed happily. "It's so pretty..." she whispered in awe, just like a little girl.  
  
He grinned. "I don't have a tux, but this is still pretty dressy, right?" he asked, looking down at his outfit.  
  
Black pants and a white button down shirt were absolutely fine with her. Her eyes wandered down his muscled chest, accentuated by the thin fabric. Yes... it was perfectly fine with her. She nodded in affirmation, blushing slightly. "It's perfect."  
  
He smiled knowingly and picked up the dress box. "We'll head over to my place and pick up some stuff... is that okay?"  
  
She nodded but then suddenly froze. "The rings! We can't get married without the rings!" she wailed.  
  
Sighing, he took out his cell phone. "I'll take care of everything. You just get your pretty little self in the car and I'll be down in a minute."  
  
"So organized... that's why I'm marrying you," she teased.  
  
"It's not because of my dashing good looks?" he asked, pouting.  
  
"I consider that a perk of married life," she said breezily, walking out the door.

* * *

An hour later...  
  
Serena stood anxiously in Darien's guesthouse. They'd decided to get married in his gazebo and she'd refused to let him see her in her dress until the wedding. Smoothing down the intricate beading and lace on her brilliant white gown, she sighed wistfully. It was perfect. A December wedding in the middle of the night... it was oddly fitting. Everyone had pushed her to have a huge wedding that she didn't want... and now she was getting the wedding she'd always dreamed of. Just her, him, and... "Rita?"  
  
The red-haired woman crushed her in a bear hug. "Little Serena!" she squealed. "I haven't seen you since you were... fourteen! Look how you've grown! And you're getting married... Darien talks about you all the time. I feel like I already know you so well!" the bubbly woman squealed.  
  
"It's good to see you too," Serena smiled warmly, albeit a bit confusedly. "Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"  
  
Rita smiled widely. "Darien didn't tell you?" Serena shook her head. "Drew's conducting the ceremony! And I'm your witness!" She squealed excitedly.  
  
"Oh, my friends are going to kill me..." Serena muttered.  
  
Sighing happily, Rita helped put Serena's veil on. "Don't worry... you should be happy that it's a small wedding! When I married Andrew we had six hundred guests and I didn't even know a quarter of them. You're so lucky... it's just you and him... and us, of course," she giggled.  
  
Serena smiled weakly. "I really didn't want a big wedding. I didn't even like the colors... yellow and orange..." she wrinkled her nose at the choices made by Mina. "The bridesmaids would have looked like candy corns!"  
  
Rita giggled, "See, now you're getting the exact wedding that you want... and you don't even have to worry about thank you cards!"  
  
A knock interrupted their conversation and Serena smiled nervously. "I guess this is it..."  
  
Rita took her hand. "Don't be nervous, sweetie! He loves you, I can tell." Turning around, Rita opened the French doors and walked outside.  
  
Serena nodded, watching Rita walk to the gazebo. "I know."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Serena left the house and stepped out into the chilly December air. She clutched her silk wrap tighter around her and slowly made her way to the brilliantly lit gazebo that stood shining amidst the darkness. Snowflakes began to fall around her gently, giving the whole scene an ethereal look.  
  
There he stood, shifting anxiously back and forth, like an overly excited little boy. As she made her way into the light of the gazebo, a lopsided smile appeared on his face as his ice blue eyes met hers.  
  
Her heart skipped a beat at that smile and she found herself feeling a bit unsteady. As she walked up the short white steps, she grinned at her fiancé. However, in doing so, her foot missed the third step and she lost her balance. Seconds before she hit the ground, she felt the familiar feeling of strong arms holding her inches above the wooden platform.  
  
A deep rumble rose up in Darien's chest as lifted her from her prone position and set her back on her feet. He was making an obvious attempt not to laugh but was failing miserably.  
  
Her face pinkened. "Leave it to me to klutz out at my wedding," she deadpanned, straightening herself up.  
  
An amused smile played on his face as he poked at one of the trademark buns on her head. "My Meatball Head," he quipped playfully, taking her hand so as not to prevent another accident.  
  
"You'd think that I'd grow out of my klutziness by now. I'm just as bad as when I was a kid."  
  
His gaze was full of love and adoration. "I wouldn't have you any other way."  
  
"I'm about to puke." A sarcastic voice entered the conversation and both turned towards it. It was Andrew, of course, wrinkling his nose at them.  
  
"Andrew!" Serena squealed, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you for doing this for us!"  
  
He smiled proudly. "I had to perform a ceremony for a cousin a while back... it's no problem."  
  
Turning back to Darien, Serena smirked. "This is your 'connection'?"  
  
Before Darien could answer, Andrew stepped in. "We're going to start, okay? It's the middle of the night and I'm freezing my ass off."  
  
"Thank you, reverend," Darien said dryly.  
  
"We are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in the bonds of holy matrimony. If anyone present can show just and legal cause why they may not be joined, let them speak now or forever hold their peace."  
  
"Keep going," Darien urged, breaking the short silence.  
  
"Do you, Darien Shields... haha I feel so professional..." Andrew trailed off giddily and received glares in return. "Ahem. Do you, Darien Shields, take this woman as your lawful wedded wife, to live together in the estate of matrimony? To love, honor her, comfort, and keep her in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"  
  
Darien smiled. "I do," he responded firmly, not a trace of doubt in his voice.  
  
"Good," Andrew replied with a grin. He turned to Serena. "Now you."  
  
Serena rolled her eyes. "Way to break the romantic moment, Drew."  
  
He ignored the comment. "Do you, Serena Tsukino, take this man as your lawful wedded husband, to live together in the estate of matrimony? To love, honor, comfort, and keep him in sickness and in health; forsaking all others, as long as you both shall live?"  
  
Her eyes began to tear. "I do."  
  
"Excellent." He turned to Darien. "Can I have the rings?"  
  
Darien handed over two intricately designed golden bands, shimmering with diamonds under the lights of the gazebo.  
  
The moment Serena caught sight of them, she took in a breath and stared in awe. "Oh Darien, they're beautiful! But, where did you get them?"  
  
"That's for me to know," he responded proudly.  
  
"You didn't get it through the mob or anything, right?" she asked jokingly.  
  
"I resent those implications."  
  
"Excuse me, I'm trying to perform a WEDDING!" Andrew interrupted, staring at them exasperatedly.  
  
"Okay okay... I had them designed before the first wedding... as a surprise," Darien confessed.  
  
Serena's eyes filled up. "Oh sweetie..."  
  
"Less cooing more vowing," Andrew said sarcastically. "Dar, repeat after me. I take thee, Serena, as my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part."  
  
"I take thee, Serena, as my wedded wife," Darien's voice began to choke up, "to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer," at this he squeezed her hands and received a smile, "in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." His shaking hands placed the intricate wedding band on her finger, his eyes warm and filled with unshed tears.  
  
"Now Sere, same words, change the name."  
  
Serena smiled slightly, taking the cool golden band in her fingers. "I take thee, Darien, as my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part." The crystalline tears in her eyes spilled over as she slid the ring onto his finger.  
  
"So, by the power invested in me by , I now pronounce you husband and wife." Andrew then turned to Darien, a wide grin on his mirthful face. "Kiss your bride!"  
  
And so Darien did.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the house was empty with the exception of Mr. and Mrs. Shields. Serena sat in Darien's lap in the lounge, sipping champagne under the glow of the fireplace.  
  
"Mrs. Shields?" Darien asked, looking down at his blushing bride.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Shields?" Serena replied giddily, resting her head on his chest.  
  
"What are you thinking about right now?"  
  
"The honeymoon... where are we going to go?"  
  
He shrugged, resting a hand on her stomach. "I was thinking maybe Rome... Paris... something like that?"  
  
She shook her head. "Nah... too fancy. Maybe something not so far away..."  
  
A lazy grin appeared on his handsome face. "Well then, how 'bout you, me, and my room in five minutes?"  
  
"You're on."  
  
END CHAPTER ELEVEN  
  
AN: -wails- It's the end! It's the end! Well, actually, I still have an epilogue to write. I wasn't originally going to have the wedding scene, but I wanted to elaborate because I've put my poor characters through so much- I wanted to see them happy! Wow... it's been a year and Untitled is almost done... Meanwhile I'd like to thank everyone who read and review this story. You motivate me so! Also, if you'd like to leave a review, it would be greatly appreciated! Feedback always helps! So thanks a bunch and look for the epilogue sometime soon! 


	12. Epilogue

Untitled As of Yet

By Usabelle

AN: Hi all! Welcome to my epilogue. I've gotten so many questions about the non-existent title of the story and I feel the need to answer it once and for all- it's going to stay untitled. I couldn't think of a good title (give me a break, I was new at this) and when I finally found a one, I realized that I couldn't change the name on some of the sites where I posted. If the non-existing title really bothers you, make one up. And no, there will probably not be a sequel. I've squeezed every drop of plot out of this story. But don't you worry- I've got plenty of ideas in my twisted little mind. I've got a vampire fic, a medieval-ish one, and an AR fic in the works. If you'd like to see a certain one first, e-mail me and let me know. Wow, I'm off-track; back to the original story! Let me assure you that pure fluffiness ensues. Warm and fuzzy feelings may also occur. This is probably ridiculously predictable but it's fun and I wanted to write it. So there! On this happy little note, here's the epilogue to Untitled As of Yet. Read, review, enjoy!

Standard Disclaimers Apply.

Epilogue

Serena sighed as she sat in the leather chair on the plane back from her honeymoon. She and Darien spent two weeks in the Austrian Alps in a lavish snow cottage... a cottage that looked more like a mansion.

She blushed as she thought about it. They were supposed to go skiing and sightseeing but somehow, they never made it out of their cabin half the time.

All in all, the scenery had been beautiful, Darien was great, and the food... oh the food! Suddenly, her stomach lurched. Those expensive meals were currently making a one-way trip up her esophagus as she stood up in panic and ran to the bathroom.

After getting violently ill, Serena heard a knock on the door. She groaned. "I'll be out in a minute," she ground out miserably, cleaning up.

When she felt slightly better, she exited the tiny room, pushing past a rather annoyed looking passenger that looked like he really needed to go. Rolling her eyes, she made her way back to her seat to come face to face with her very concerned husband.

His blue eyes held a look of worry as he watched her fall into the seat. "Baby, what's wrong?"

She groaned, "I just lost my lunch."

"Oh no, did you eat peanuts again?"

She glared at him. "No."

"Then are you sick?"

Shrugging, she leaned back in the plush leather seat, resting her heated face against the cool material. Yes, first class was much nicer than coach. Much better.

"Do you need something? Ginger ale? Crackers?" Darien asked worriedly, placing a hand on her forehead.

"A sledgehammer?"

He smiled slightly. "Do you think it was something you ate?"

Lazily rolling her head toward him, she shrugged. "I dunno... maybe I shouldn't have had that weinerschnitzel for breakfast."

Smirking, he put his extra blanket around her. "You think? Maybe it was that extra side of strudel that did you in."

She groaned, "Uhhh... don't mention food..."

He sighed. "You never learn, do you?" When he received no response, his brow furrowed. "Oh, you're really sick, aren't you?"

Looking positively pitiful, she barely managed a nod. "I haven't felt this bad since..." Suddenly, she perked up as a flight attendant brought an ice cream sundae over to another passenger. "Hey... wait a minute... I think I'm hungry now!"

Staring at her as though she was slightly mad, he placed a hand on either side of her face and turned it towards him. "Just one minute ago you were going to die... now you want a sundae?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup!" she said brightly, grinning.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were pregnant."

She glared at him. "Well, luckily you do know better. We just got married... there's no way!"

He coughed. "Uh... there's a way."

Turning away from him, she pouted. "Well... you're just wrong! End of conversation!"

Two weeks later...

"Baby..." she moaned, sitting pathetically against the glass shower.

"You're sick again, aren't you?" he sighed, bringing her a cool washcloth for her forehead.

"I'm not sick," she said stubbornly, taking the washcloth from him. "So I've been throwing up every morning. Big deal."

He kneeled down to her level and pushed away the golden strands of hair matted to her forehead. "Now, don't smack me, but I got you something," he offered nervously, holding out a white box.

Weakly grasping it, she smirked. "I wouldn't have the energy." With all of her strength, she opened the box and stared at its contents. A pregnancy test. "Gee, thanks," she deadpanned, taking out the tester.

Moving to sit on the floor, he stared at her nervously. "You don't have to take it... but I thought since you've been sick..."

She sighed, "Okay. I'll do it."

Ten Minutes Later...

"Is it ready?" Darien asked, pacing back and forth.

She rolled her eyes. He'd asked that question eight times already. "I don't know... does it look ready?" she asked exasperatedly. She held it up for him to see.

His eyes widened. "Uh... yeah..." He looked like he was going to pass out.

"Darien, what's wrong?" she asked confusedly.

"It's... it's... it's... uh..." he stammered, dumbstruck, "positive..."

"WHAT?!?" she shrieked, bringing the test up to her face. He was right. A giant blue plus sign stared back at her. "It's positive..."

His wide azure eyes gazed at her and he nodded. "It's positive."

A hand flew to her stomach and she looked down, trying to imagine a tiny life inside. "I'm pregnant..."

Suddenly, a grin spread across her husband's handsome face. "We're going to have a baby..." As she stood in stunned silence, he walked up from behind and put his arms around her, his hands resting on hers.

She leaned back, trying to process all of the information. "A baby... but we've been married for a month!"

He smirked. "But my little army was efficient."

Smacking his hand, she turned in his arms, "This is all your fault, you know," she whispered playfully.

"Well if you weren't so damned irresistible, we would have left our cottage for more than five minutes," he shot back.

She giggled into his chest. "A baby..." she whispered giddily, "This is going to be fun."

One Month Later...

She was wrong. It was not fun. The night sweats, the mood swings, the nausea, the cravings for steamed broccoli with chocolate sauce... She couldn't take much more- and she was still in the first trimester!

Sitting in the doctor's office, she shifted uncomfortably. Having to pee every five minutes was becoming a serious inconvenience. She'd been sitting in the uncomfortable little chair for over an hour, waiting for a nurse to call her back. Her patience was already wearing thin- and being that she couldn't even keep down a decent meal, she was close to exploding.

A nurse emerged from the hallway. "Mrs. Shields?"

Finally! Serena smiled at new last name. It still made her giggle childishly when anyone called her by that. Oh, how mad her friends and family were when she called them from Austria and left a message as Mrs. Shields! She thought that they were going to kill her when she returned. And they nearly did. Her father actually threatened to go to Austria and drag her back home. However, when she and Darien finally did return, they screamed, they cried, and eventually, they began hugging the living daylights out of them. Even her father welcomed him into the family, which had meant a lot to Darien. 

Looking down at her still-flat belly, she reasoned that they would have to welcome another member into the family pretty soon. She hadn't told them yet for fear of jinxing the pregnancy. Even though it was dumb and superstitious, she wanted to follow the first trimester rule. But when they did find out... her dad would probably show up at their door with a rifle and threaten to delete a member of the family- namely Darien for impregnating his little angel. Her mother would cry hysterically, just like when she found out that they were married. It was also pretty safe to assume that Mina, Lita, and Raye would jump down her throat for not telling them. Amy would probably be the only one not screaming at her- she understood the risk in early pregnancy.

The nurse looking at her expectantly shook her out of her trance and she followed the older woman down the long hallway to her room. After checking her blood pressure and asking all of the boring, standard questions, the woman left the room and Serena sat all by herself.

Darien couldn't come with her that day because he had to deal with a messy domestic case in the city. Now she really wished he'd come because she was bored out of her mind. Looking around for any form of entertainment, she caught sight of an ultrasound in color on the wall. Reeling back, she cringed. She did not find that clear, tadpole-ish looking thing adorable! She was going to be a terrible mother! Tears welled up in her eyes and she was almost to a full-on sob when the door opened.

"Serena?" a familiar voice asked as Serena's head shot up.

"Amy?" Of course. She had a rotation in obstetrics for her residency.

Her friend nodded, barely masking her surprise. "Dr. Greene was ill and couldn't risk getting any of the patients sick, so I'm filling in."

Serena smiled weakly. She'd wanted to keep it a secret until at least three months. "So... guess what? I'm pregnant," Serena offered, smiling sheepishly.

"Apparently," Amy deadpanned, looking over her file.

Sighing, Serena toyed with the hem of her skirt. "I wanted to tell you... but I didn't want to jinx it, you know?"

Amy nodded. "I understand. Don't worry, I won't tell the others... but you should. You've kept a lot of secrets from us in the past year, Serena."

"The others will kill me if I don't tell them, won't they?"

She smirked. "Probably. Have you told your parents?"

"Um...No."

"You're going to have a ton of fun, aren't you?"

Letting go of her skirt, she placed a hand on her stomach. "Believe me, I've already had as much fun as I can take."

Amy glanced down at her chart. "Everything looks okay... but we'll want to see you again soon for an ultrasound."

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Serena asked anxiously.

She smiled. "We don't know yet, but we'll know soon. Let's just be happy that it's a normal, healthy baby right now."

Serena nodded. "Yeah... you're right. Maybe I don't even want to know... one less thing to worry about. Now I just have to figure out how to tell everyone..."

Serena and Darien stood outside of her parents' house nervously. They were having dinner with them and were planning on telling them about the baby.

"They're going to kill me," Darien deadpanned, shrinking away from the door.

Serena rolled her eyes and pulled him back to her. "No they're not. Besides, if my dad does crack out the rifle, just shove me in front of you. He won't shoot his little angel."

He groaned. "Why don't we just send them a letter or something? Or... um... hey, aren't you hungry? I could go and pick up some broccoli and chocolate sauce! Of course that'll take a trip or two and I'll have to cook the broccoli, so I may not be back for a while."

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Nice try. Bribing me with food isn't going to work this time. You're half-responsible for the baby, so you're half responsible for the tongue-lashing we're about to receive."

Before he could protest anymore, she knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened and her mother flew out to them. "Serena! Darien! Come in!" she greeted warmly, hugging them both. Turning to Darien, she grinned widely. "You're such a good influence on her! Right on time!"

He smiled back weakly. "Thanks Irene."

Sensing his extreme uneasiness, Serena grabbed his hand and dragged him into the house. After a few steps they were greeted by Serena's father. She felt the grip on her hand getting tighter and tighter. "Princess!" her father greeted affectionately, ignoring Darien for the moment.

Letting go of her terrified husband's hand, she gave her father a hug. "Daddy!" she squealed, glancing back at Darien who was getting paler by the minute.

"Ken," Darien greeted respectfully, holding out his hand.

Ken merely smiled and shook his hand. "Darien."

Serena's mother came in and shook her head. "What are you doing standing out here? You have guests inside."

Her blue eyes widened. "Guests?"

Grinning, her mother led her into the family room where Lita, Mina, Raye, and Chad were sitting. They all yelled "SURPRISE!" and Serena and Darien clung to each other for dear life.

"For what?" Darien asked anxiously, not daring to let go of his shocked wife. 

Mina grinned. "We're celebrating your wedding, silly!"

Serena was stunned. "Uh... thanks." She turned to Darien and whispered quietly enough so that only he could hear. "They are going to kill us!"

Raye rolled her eyes. "Come on, Serena. Be a little more animated! We got you presents!"

"Uh... we really appreciate it. We're just... surprised." And terrified, she added silently.

"Well sit down and open your presents, dear!" Irene coaxed, pushing Serena and Darien to the loveseat and handing them a present. "This one's from Amy. She couldn't be here because she's working but sends her love."

"How kind," Serena ground out, barely suppressing her rage. Amy could have warned her! She looked to her left to find a very uncomfortable Darien looking everywhere but at her parents.

Giving a slight smile, Darien took the small package and began unwrapping it. As soon as he cleared away enough of the shiny blue paper to see what the gift was, he dropped the box to the floor.

Serena's brow furrowed. "What the... are you okay?" Darien looked sick and she was almost afraid to see what caused it. Picking up the box, she froze. Baby monitors.

Her mother looked at the terrified couple confusedly. "Honey, what did she get you? Are you okay?"

She plastered a wide smile on her face and grabbed Darien's hand. "Fine. Fine... um... what a thoughtful gift..." She searched for a believable excuse. "Walkie-talkies. It must be because the house is so big and we can never hear each other. Funny," she laughed, trying to downplay her increasing fear. 'Good cover up, genius,' she thought wryly.

Raye stood up and walked over to the nervous couple, grabbing the box. She examined the box for a moment before opening it and holding up a baby monitor up for them to see. "This isn't a walkie-talkie. Care to explain?"

Their eyes were wide as they stared at the high-tech monitor. Neither of them could speak.

Lita came to join her. "Well?"

Darien struggled to speak. When he found his voice, he pasted a weak smile on his face. "Uh... I think you'd have to ask Amy about that one. I'm guessing it's a gag gift... you know, since we were married so quickly?"

He received a sharp jab in his side as his enraged wife stared at him incredulously, as if to say, 'What were you thinking?' She smiled at the disbelieving group. "Could you excuse us for a moment?"

Everyone in the room gazed at them strangely. "Okay..."

Darien nearly flew out of the room, Serena right behind him. As soon as they were far enough away, Darien whirled around, frantic. "What the hell are we going to tell them?" he whispered harshly. "What the hell was she thinking?"

Her hand came up to rub her pounding forehead. "I don't know! I can't believe she'd put us in this position! They are barely buying our excuses! I didn't even buy our excuses!"

He sighed in defeat. "I guess we'll have to tell them all now. But when?" 

Pausing for a moment, she thought of the safest possible way. "We'll tell them after dinner. They'll run slower with a full meal in them."

Smiling, he kissed her lightly on the lips. "I love the way you think."

She kissed him back. "I love the way you don't."

Rolling his eyes, Darien's expression shifted to a concerned one. "So we're okay? How are you feeling?"

She frowned. "Nauseated and fearful. You?"

A slight smile graced his somber face. "Same."

Slowly making their way back to the family room hand-in-hand, they froze when they saw everyone in the room staring at them expectantly. "Princess, are you sure you're okay? You look a little sick," her father commented, concerned.

"Yes Daddy, we're fine," she managed a thin smile, leading Darien back to the loveseat. "So... when's dinner?"

Her mother smiled proudly. "Soon, sweetie. I made your favorite! Pulled pork barbeque!"

All of the color drained from her face and a grayish-green color replaced it. She could not get through a barbeque without getting sick! Looking at Darien desperately, he nodded back at her in defeat. Biting her lip, she stood up with Darien and took his hand. "That's great, Mom, but I need to tell you something."

Irene stared at her ill daughter worriedly. "What is it?"

Serena gripped Darien's hand tighter. "We're... um... DarienandIaregoingtohaveababy," she blurted out, barely distinguishable.

Her father shot up out of his seat. "You're WHAT?"

Darien put his arm around his shaking wife. "We're going to have a baby."

Ken stared at Darien in contempt, stalking toward him. "You'd better run, boy."

Serena's eyes widened and she moved in front of Darien. "No, Daddy! It's okay! Everyone... we wanted to tell you sooner, but we didn't want to jinx it."

Chad stared at the couple in shock. "Well I wasn't expecting this."

Darien smiled slightly from behind his indignant wife. "Neither were we."

Ken glared at Darien. "You have some nerve! You come in here, take away our little girl without even letting us know and now you're going to have a child? Do you even know what that means? You're both too young and inexperienced to be parents!"

"Ken!" Irene admonished, putting a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him.

"It's true! They have no idea what the hell they're getting themselves into! It's all his fault!"

Serena shook her head as her eyes began to fill with tears. "No it's not," she said shakily. "We may not know what we're doing but we're going to do our best. I was hoping for a little support from you guys," she finished off, blinded by her unshed tears. 

Irene began to tear up as well. "Serena... of course we'll help you... your father doesn't mean it. We love you." She turned to Darien. "Both of you."

He smiled slightly, "Thanks."

Ken crossed his arms and glared at them stubbornly. "This will take some getting used to," he glared.

Serena nodded. "I know."

A few months later...

"DIE!!!!" Serena screamed demonically as she ran down the hallway with a rolled up newspaper in hand.

Darien looked up from the kitchen table in horror. "Oh no... Sweetie... it's clean enough." Putting down his coffee cup, he followed after her worriedly.

Her blue eyes narrowed as she honed in on the culprit messing up her clean house- a spider. A teensy weensy spider. A spider that seemed to be laughing at her as it scurried up the wall. "No... I hate spiders! I hate them!" she muttered, rolling the newspaper a little tighter and taking aim. "The nerve of them... leaving cobwebs in my perfectly clean house!" She swatted at the spider and missed. "Dammit!"

Darien came up behind her and gently took the paper out of her hand. She'd been going through a cleaning phase and although he enjoyed having his boxers sorted by color, brand, and frequency of use, she was beginning to get a little scary. "It's just a spider," he offered hesitantly. "Why don't we go in the kitchen and make you some pancakes instead of chasing it?"

"It's making a mess!" she shrieked exasperatedly, snatching the newspaper back.

He smirked. "I never thought I'd see the day where you'd be a neat freak."

Ignoring the comment, she inched closer to the spider. "I want to see the fear in all eight little beady eyes when I squish you into bug splat! Now come down here!"

It merely scooted up a little higher.

Serena began hopping up and down futilely, trying to reach the annoying little bug. "Darien, I can't reach it! Get it for me!"

Darien was beginning to feel sorry for the spider. He looked from the terrified bug to his suffering wife who was looking at him with the most pathetic, pleading expression. Sighing, he took the paper from her and smack! It fell to the ground.

Smiling widely, Serena pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, sweetie!" She skipped off to get dressed for work.

A slight smile appeared on his face as he looked down at the squished little bug. "Sorry, but you try dealing with a pregnant wife!"

A little while later...

"We need to think about names, Darien." Serena looked at her husband who was currently participating in her yoga for pregnant women workout. She was beginning to show and couldn't stand the tiny bulge, so she started exercising to cancel out the new cravings for deep-fried Twinkies. When Darien didn't respond, she turned around. "Darien?"

Darien was in an inverted position on their gym floor. After a moment of her waiting, he blew out a breath. "You ruined my downward dog."

She rolled her eyes and lay on her back, doing scissor kicks. "Sorry to interrupt such an important moment, but I'm six months pregnant and we have no names for the baby."

He sat down and followed her movements. "I know... I haven't given it too much thought. We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"If it's a boy..." she smiled wickedly, "Shane?"

Darien nearly shrieked. "Good God no!"

She giggled. "I was just kidding."

He pouted. "Well, I think we should name it after me."

"You want to name him after YOU? Darien Jr.? We can buy a locker for the kid's first birthday because that's where he's going to spend all of junior high and high school."

"Well what if it's a girl? We can't depend on Matthew now can we?"

"Um... how 'bout... Lorelei?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Hey, I found it in a book..."

"What about... Giselle?"

"Sounds too much like an animal."

"Thank you Miss Science."

"Well it still might be a boy! And I'm not naming it Darien!"

"What about Bradley?"

"Cute... maybe too cute. Derek?"

"Maybe. Wade?"

"Nah... I like D names... maybe it's because of you."

"Yet you still won't let me name him after myself."

"We might as well name him Frodo if we're going with Darien. I want this kid to be somewhat normal."

"By naming him Lorelei?"

"Lay off! I'm pregnant and you're making my job a whole lot harder!"

He rolled his eyes. "And what is your job? Carrying around a five pound baby while everyone fawns over you for nine months?"

At his words, her eyes narrowed accusingly. "Oh you did not just say that. You carry around a kicking ball of fury that's feeding off of you and causing you back pain and mood swings and vomiting and is going to force its way out of a teeny orifice in nine months when you'll be too fat to even see your feet and then talk to me. Until then, get comfortable on the couch."

"Baby, I didn't mean it like that," he whined.

Her eyes started to tear. "Well it sounded that way. I'm fat and you're not making me feel any better."

"Fat? What are you talking about? You're only a few months pregnant! Even so... you're not fat at all!"

She sniffled. "I gained... three pounds!" Her sniffles progressed into sobs as she stared at the slightly protruding bump on her belly.

"Oh Serena... you look beautiful. And I couldn't even tell. Honest. Besides, you're carrying our baby. It won't be healthy if you don't gain enough weight."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

She brightened abruptly. "Good, 'cause I'm hungry."

He sighed, getting up and following her out of the gym to the kitchen. Three more months...

"DARIEN!" Serena screamed, sitting on the floor of their bedroom.

The man in question ran up the stairs in fear. Serena had to stop working in the eighth month after her blood pressure rose too high. Now she was on bed rest. He was terrified that she was having a complication and sprinted into the room, barely able to catch his breath. "What's..." he took a breath, "wrong?" he wheezed.

His wife smiled impishly. "This game's a two-player. Can you help?"

Serena had recently discovered video games in her free time and now spent most of the day sitting on a pillow in their bedroom playing his array of Nintendo games. She sat against the bed, staring up at him innocently with a controller in her hand.

He glared at her. "You made me run all the way up here for a video game?" he asked incredulously.

She smiled up at him. "Well, you didn't have to run, sweetie. I just thought you might feel better if you played a little. You seem so tense lately."

Taking a breath in an attempt to cool down and not scream at her, Darien gripped the bedpost for dear life. He was tense because she did this every five minutes and when he wanted to... let off steam at night, she'd already be fast asleep. "Sorry," he blew out, taking a seat next to her.

Wrapping her arms around him with great difficulty (her rounded belly now got in the way of everything), she kissed him softly, trying to get him to at least smile. "Nothing to be sorry about. I just want you to feel better."

"I'm fine," he said tightly, disentangling himself from his wife. Her innocent affection was making it worse. He shifted uncomfortably.

Suddenly, she began to cry. "No you're not!" she wailed, "Stop lying to me! Is it because I'm too fat? Is it because I snore? Is it because we have to keep it at forty degrees in here?"

His eyes widened and he immediately took her in his arms. "Of course not! Serena, you're perfect and I love you. I don't care about any of that! It's just..."

Her tears abated slightly. "What?" she asked, looking up at him sadly from her position in his lap.

He smiled ruefully. "It's just that... uh... we haven't uh... you know... in a long time."

Serena gasped. "Oh! You're upset because you haven't gotten any! I'm sorry, baby!"

His face reddened at her blunt comment. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is! I've been so selfish." Suddenly, she smiled wickedly. "Look, the maid isn't coming for another three hours and I could use a little exercise. How about I make the dry spell up to you?"

Grinning, Darien moved to shut the door. He loved his wife.

A few hours later...

Serena smiled at Darien sleepily. "Feel better?"

He kissed the tip of her nose. "Much."

She nodded, resting her head on his chest. "Good. My... new figure didn't gross you out too much?" 

Grinning mischievously, he pulled her closer. "I liked it." 

Giggling, she grabbed a pillow and swatted him with it. "You are a ridiculous flatterer."

"You're a ridiculous seductress."

"Am not."

"Are too," he shot back.

She rolled her eyes, ready to end the childish game when she heard a noise. "Did you hear something?"

His brow furrowed as he sat up. "Yeah, sounds like someone's knocking..."

Her eyes widened as she gasped. "Oh no! We were supposed to have dinner with Raye and Chad!"

He cringed. "Oops... I guess we took a little longer than we thought."

She hurried to get dressed. "This is all your fault."

"It was worth it."

Serena sat in Mina's living room, filling up on cake at her baby shower. Raye and Mina told her that they were taking her for ice cream... trust her to say yes to anything involving food. She'd met the girls at Mina's house and they'd surprised her with a shower complete with games, balloons, and plenty of ice cream. Rita had even shown up for the occasion.

"So have you picked out names yet?" Lita asked, digging into an iced cookie shaped like a rattle.

She sighed. "We want the gender to be a surprise, so we don't have definite names yet."

Mina smiled. "Well, if you really can't think of one, Mina is a simple yet elegant name..."

Serena grinned. "Darien actually wanted me to name the baby after him! Could you imagine?"

Amy shook her head. "You better pick out a name soon, Serena. You're two weeks past due!"

She groaned. "Fully aware, Amy. I'm ready to yank this thing out with my bare hands. I don't think Darien can take much more either."

Mina looked up from her plate, amused. "How is Darien, anyway? Excited about becoming a father?"

Smirking, Serena took another slice of cake. "Please, he's throwing up more than me. He's so afraid that he'll drop the baby on its head or scar it for life. You should see him at the classes we're taking. After everything we learn, he has to ask at least three or four questions. The poor teacher was ready to kill him last week after he asked if there were other alternatives to special breathing during labor because he wasn't sure if he would remember to do it with me."

Rita laughed hysterically. "Don't worry. Andrew was the same way with the first one. It's normal. Besides, we had the boys distract Darien today while we had the shower for you."

Serena looked at her confusedly. "What did you do?"

Raye smiled conspiratorially. "Chad and Andrew took him skydiving."

Her eyes widened. "Why did you do that?"

Mina put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Serena! He'll have a parachute and everything. Well... there's always a chance that it won't open, but..."

Raye smacked Mina in the head, "They'll be fine." She turned to Serena, "What's wrong?"

Serena smiled weakly. "Darien is afraid of heights..."

In an airport hangar thirty miles away...

Darien clutched the seat, terrified. Sure it was nice of Andrew and Chad to give him a last fling before the baby came, but this wasn't his idea of adventure. He hated heights to begin with and jumping out of a plane? He despised the very idea. "Guys, I appreciate this, but I don't think it's a good idea. We could get seriously hurt," he said cautiously.

Chad rolled his eyes. "Quit being a baby. The rate of fatality on one of these things is so low. Where's your sense of adventure?"

Frowning, Darien strapped himself in. "You don't understand. I really don't like heights."

Andrew shook his head. "Once you're up there, you'll be fine. You fly all the time. What's the difference?"

"I'm inside the plane! That's the difference!" Darien hissed, looking at the stack of parachutes anxiously.

"You'll be fine! Don't worry," Andrew said reassuringly, taking a seat near the window. 

Darien was definitely worried.

A few minutes later...

A cold wind rushed through the plane as the pilot signaled that it was safe for them to jump. Darien peeked out the open door and quickly reeled back. "I can't do this. You guys go. I'll just ride back down."

Both Chad and Andrew dragged him up. "You want to do this. You just don't know it yet." The skydiving instructor strapped the parachute to his back and Darien began to hyperventilate.

"No, I don't think I do," Darien said, inching back toward a seat.

Chad glared at him. "Once you have the baby, you'll have no time for anything. Come on, it'll be fun."

"I want my baby to have a father. A living one!" Darien cried, shaking his head as the instructor motioned for him to approach the open door.

This time, a fed-up Andrew pushed him forward and Darien held onto the safety rope for dear life. He looked down to find wispy clouds beneath him, which made him dizzier than before. Taking a few staggering steps backward, Darien swayed back and forth for a moment before completely blacking out and falling to the floor of the plane.

His two friends began to freak out as they found him passed out on the floor. "Darien? Are you okay, man?" Chad asked, nervously looking to the instructor who tried to wake him up.

"We better take him to the hospital. He's out cold," the instructor said, closing the hatch.

Andrew stared at his best friend anxiously. Serena was going to kill him.

"He did WHAT?" Serena screeched through the phone. That idiot made Darien go up in the plane even though he knew Darien didn't want to! Her face burned with anger. "I'll meet you there. No, I'll deal with you later," she ground out menacingly, hanging up the phone.

Rita approached the furious pregnant woman cautiously. "What happened?"

"My husband is unconscious and being rushed to the hospital with a possible concussion because your husband and" she pointed to Raye, "your husband made him go up in that God forsaken plane!"

"I'll kill him!" Raye spat, grabbing her purse. "We're taking you to the hospital and we're going to rip Chad a new one!"

Rita glowered, helping Serena out the door. "Andrew will be sleeping on the couch for the next year!"

Amy pulled her keys out of her pocket and turned to Lita and Mina. "We'd better follow- this could get dangerous."

They had no idea how dangerous it would get.

Fifteen minutes later...

Serena waddled through the emergency room as fast as she could. Unfortunately, since she was over nine months pregnant, this wasn't very fast. As soon as she got clearance to visit Darien, she all but ran. When she reached the room, he was lying in a hospital bed, somewhat conscious.

"Darien?" she asked quietly, walking up to the bed.

He slowly opened his eyes at looked at her, unfocused. "Serena?"

She nodded, smoothing down his unruly black hair and taking a seat by the bed. "Poor baby... how are you feeling?"

Squinting, he struggled to focus on her. "I don't know... my head hurts."

She stared into his pitiful blue eyes and sighed. "Would a kiss make it better?"

He grinned, his eyes finally focusing. "I think so."

A wry smile played on her face. That woke him up. Placing a soft kiss on his forehead, she worked her way down to his mouth and gave him a long kiss. Suddenly, she reeled back in pain and clutched her abdomen. 

Darien shot up in bed, panicking. "What's wrong?"

She began to sweat. "I think my water just broke."

"You're not serious," he deadpanned.

Falling back into the chair, she began to breathe heavily. "Oh I'm incredibly serious."

Darien's eyes were as wide as saucers. "I'll uh... call the nurse." He began to frantically press the call button beside his bed.

A few minutes later, a doctor sauntered in with a nurse behind him. "Mr. Shields, I have good news. It looks like you don't have a concussion. You've just got a nasty bump from that fall." The man looked to Serena who, at the moment, was breathing deeply and clutching her belly. "Uh... are you alright, Miss?"

Darien was now fully up and conscious. "This is my wife, Serena, and I think she's in labor." Serena merely nodded in acknowledgment of her name and kept on attempting to breathe.

"Why don't we take you up to obstetrics and have a look?" the doctor asked kindly, trying to help up the very pregnant woman.

Serena glared at the doctor and wouldn't budge from her seat. "I'm not leaving Darien."

"Mrs. Shields, I really think that you should see an obstetrician as soon as possible..."

Darien stared at his suffering wife. "Really, Serena, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired. I'll go up with you."

"We will send Mr. Shields upstairs as soon he can be released," the doctor offered to Serena, who was now fanning herself with a medical chart she found on the nightstand beside the bed.

She was about to refuse when she felt another horrible, stabbing pain. "Ow," she deadpanned.

The doctor examined her worriedly. "We need to get you upstairs now, Mrs. Shields."

Serena looked to her husband who was nodding his head in agreement. "I'll be up soon," he said encouragingly, taking her hand.

She sighed, defeated. "Okay. Let's go."

In less than a minute, a nurse arrived with a wheelchair and she wearily got in. As they wheeled her down the long hallway to the elevator, she went right past her friends.

When they caught sight of her, they practically jumped out of their seats and ran to follow, bewildered.

"What's wrong?" Lita asked, scared by the sight of her friend in a wheelchair.

Serena looked up at them tiredly, "I'm in labor."

Mina squealed. "Oh really? This is soooo exciting! Luckily, I brought a camera." Sure enough, she whipped one out for everyone to see. "Smile, Serena!"

Serena did not smile. Instead, she gave her a death glare. "You take that picture and I'll kill you," she ground out, wincing as another contraction hit.

Raye snatched the camera from her offended friend's hands. "The last thing she needs is to have her picture taken when she's in labor." She knew just how bad the horrifying pain was and how she would have reacted if someone had taken her picture during a contraction.

Serena took a breath. "Thanks."

Andrew and Chad meekly came up to the front of the group. "Uh... hi Serena," Chad said timidly. "So... you're in labor..."

Her eyes narrowed. "Damn straight. I'm guessing it's because of all the STRESS I've been put under."

Andrew ran a hand through his hair and smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about Darien... we thought it would be fun..."

She sighed. "I guess it's okay... at least it induced labor."

He grinned. "Always one to look on the bright side, Meatball Head."

Her expression automatically darkened. "Now you're pushing it."

"Sorry," he squeaked, before being pushed out of the way by his wife.

"Don't mind him, honey," Rita cooed. "We'll all wait for you upstairs."

Serena smiled weakly and waved goodbye. "Thanks."

Amy spoke to the nurse for a moment before taking the wheelchair and leading her to the private patient elevator herself. "They're letting me take you up, Serena. We'll have you up in no time," she said kindly, just like a doctor.

"Great. Will this thing come out of me anytime soon?"

She sighed, pressing an elevator button. "How close are the contractions?"

Serena grimaced as another hit. "Very. Epidural?"

"Out of the question."

"Crap. This is going to hurt like hell."

Amy smiled sympathetically. "It will be over before you know it. And it'll be worth it too."

Serena looked down at her rounded belly. "It better be."

About 20 minutes later...

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Serena let out a wail that could have woken the dead. "Darien! Where is he?" Didn't he have long enough to get up here? Didn't they know that the baby wasn't going to wait much longer? She glowered at the medical personnel. They sent Amy away after a while and now she was alone with a bunch of strangers.

Just as she was about to throw the nearest surgical tool within reach at someone, her husband ran through the door dressed in scrubs. "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly, approaching the bed.

"No!" she wailed, "Do I look like I'm okay?"

"Baby, you look beautiful." 

"Shut up! I look like I just ran a marathon. A fat person's marathon!" she cried, mopping her brow with a cool cloth.

He shook his head and took her hand. "No! You're..." he paused, searching for the right word, "glowing."

She rolled her eyes and pushed his hand away. "Don't touch me! This is all your fault! That's how it all started!"

Smiling, he brought her a cup of ice chips. "You're just saying that now because you're in pain."

Her glare became even icier. "You have no idea what I'm going through!" She began to sob, "It huuuurts!"

A nurse approached the sobbing woman timidly. "Mrs. Shields, we'd like for you to push now. Do you think you can?"

Slowly, her sobs became hiccups. "Okay." With all her might, she gave a push and fell back onto the bed, exhausted. "Is it out yet?" she asked tiredly.

The doctor looked at her sadly, "Not yet. We'll need a few more good pushes, Serena."

This time, Serena grabbed Darien's hand and squeezed. "Please don't leave! It hurts..." she hissed, tears slipping from her eyes.

He smiled and pushed the dark gold strands of hair from her eyes. "Don't worry. I'm right here... you're doing great."

Gathering up the remainder of her strength, she gave another push, and another. The doctor nodded, "I see the head. Keep it up."

Darien continued to get paler and paler as the labor progressed and tried to remember something from the classes they'd taken. "Remember to breathe! Hee hee hoo! Hee hee hoo!"

She stared up at him incredulously, "Shut up! I'm trying to give birth and you're panting!"

He sighed tiredly and stared down at the hand that held hers. It was now a shade of reddish-purple, on the verge of an unhealthy blue. She gave another push and the hand began to go numb. "Uh... Sweetie, my hand..."

"Hurts way less than I do right now!" she screamed demonically, her grip tightening even more.

The nurse approached the couple again. "One more good push and we're done, Serena."

Suddenly, her expression changed from demonic to pitiful as she stared up at her husband innocently through thick lashes. "I don't think I can..."

He smiled at her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "I know you can. I love you."

She gave a weak smile. "I love you too." With that, she gripped his hand so tightly that he could have sworn that he heard a crunch and gave one mighty push.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Their child came screaming into the world and had apparently inherited its mother's lung capacity.

Serena's eyes widened at the noise as she fell back onto the bed exhausted. She stared up at her equally exhausted husband. "I love you..."

He kissed her softly, "I love you too..."

A few moments later, the doctor approached Darien, handing him a small bundle. "Congratulations. It's a boy."

Darien took a seat on the bed, cradling the tiny child in his arms. "We have a son... I'm a father..." he whispered in awe. Pulling back the blue blanket ever so slightly, he smiled. Their son was a mix of his father and mother; he had his black hair and her blue eyes. "Hi there, I'm your daddy..."

Serena smiled at her husband and son. It was the picture of perfection... and to think that she almost threw away the opportunity to have it... Darien looked up from the child to his wife and handed her the bundle. "Hi..." The baby ceased its incessant crying to stare up at his mother with wide blue eyes that resembled her own so closely. She bit her lip as she stared at the tiny life. "I'm your mommy... hi there, little one..."

The nurse quietly came up to them with a clipboard, "Do you have a name for your son?"

Darien looked at Serena who nodded at him in agreement. "Hayden Reese Shields."

Serena grinned and noticed that the baby had fallen asleep. "Hayden... I love it..."

And as she handed Hayden back to Darien who lay next to her, rocking the baby gently in his arms, she finally realized the answer to something she'd been wondering about all along. Was all of the pain, the fighting, the turmoil they'd went through worth it? She nodded, curling up against her husband and son contentedly. In the end, it was worth it. He was worth it.

THE END

AN: Sigh. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I had so much fun writing this story- I can't believe it's over! I'd like to thank all the people who helped me throughout this past year. Reviewers, you are my favorite! Giant hugs to all of you guys! All of the extra support really helped- especially since this was my first story. And since I enjoyed writing this one so much, I'll definitely be writing some new stuff in the future. So, until next time, darlings! Thanks! 


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